Monster High
by IllusionaryMagician
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Alfred F. Jones was a normal teenage boy who had finally managed to set his life straight after the accident exactly one year ago. But after waking up in a strange school where every student is a supernatural monster, it seems that life has other plans. Why is he here and what part does he play in the newest prophecy the schools principal had?
1. Intro Arc: Chapter 1: Death Sucks

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does. I only own the story idea, formed when I listened to too many "This is Halloween" multi-language songs in October...

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><p>Alfred had never given much thought about death.<p>

He hadn't really thought about it when his family had received that call on a dark autumn evening. Though, to be honest it was hard to think about much of anything at that time.

He could remember it vividly though. He was sitting at the dinner table, waiting with his mother and father for Matthew, his brother, to come home from his friend's house. His brother, who was never, ever late for anything, was half an hour late for dinner.

When the phone rang, his mother had stood up, mumbling and picked up the phone. Alfred could hear her grumbling under her breath about her supposedly responsible son probably calling to say he was going to be late. It shocked Alfred to see her suddenly drop the phone on the floor and fall to her knees, her eyes pouring tears and loud sobs wracking her body. His father rushed over to her side, leaning close as she whispered in a soft voice what had happened. He watched his father drop to his knees, holding her and they both started to cry.

It wasn't until they were piled in the car, heading towards the direction of the hospital, that Alfred finally had enough courage to ask what had happened. In a shaky voice, his mother had told him. Apparently Matthew had been walking home when he was hit by a drunken truck driver. The truck had barreled into him, sending him flying and he landed on his head. An hour after they had gotten his brother to the hospital, Matthew was considered brain dead, his body having shown no response to their treatments. They were going to his hospital room to do what many call "pull the plug".

When they got to the hospital, Alfred's mind went into overdrive. A half an hour ago he was waiting to eat dinner. Five hours before that he had waved Matthew goodbye and told him to hurry home because mom was making them hamburgers. This morning, he remembered being woken up by Matthew, frantically putting on socks as he realized they had fifteen minutes to get to school. So how, during that normal day, did he end up in the hospital staring at Matthew's unmoving body, waiting to pull the plug on the machines that were keeping him alive?

The memory got more fuzzy here, almost surreal. He held his brothers hand as the machine that breathed for him stopped. He remembered the tears falling from his eyes and calling to his brother to wake up, to stop playing around and sit up, open his eyes, anything. After a few minutes, (or was it a few hours?) he looked up at his parents, their figures blurry and obscured by the tears in his eyes as they hugged him tightly.

To this day, Alfred wondered if his family's collected sobs of anguish could be heard through the hospital. To him, the only sound that was louder was that single long note that drawled on, embedding in his memory and confirming that Matthew was not going to shake him awake in the morning or smile at him in the evening, because he really was gone.

So, even then as they mourned by his brother's bedside, Alfred never thought once about death, only about precious memories of his brother. Not even during the funeral as he watched the coffin descend into the earth, did any thought about death enter his mind. He was too focused on his parents crying quietly next to him and the wet tears falling down his cheeks as he tossed his flower into the large hole.

Yes, Alfred never once thought about death. However, as he lay on the cool ground, half conscious and lying in a pool of blood that was trickling out of his neck, he found it ironic that only one year after his brother's death he would find himself thinking:

_Death sucks…_

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><p><strong>New Authors Note: <strong>

**Finally getting around to editing this! My gods, it's been nearly two years since I've looked at this story... ****I'm cringing.**

**Someone pointed out that the first line reminds them of Twilight. I checked and good gravy it does! But it was a crucial part in the intro so I can't change it now. Sorry! ( ;-; ")**

**On a different note, it's been a few years and my tastes have changed since then (Although I still do enjoy Hetalia). I've gotten**** a username change from SoulEaterRomanceFan to IllusionaryMagician. I'll miss the acronym!**

**On the story-writing note, I still want to finish the story sometime. I'm hoping that reading over this story will prompt more chapters to be written. (It's been ages since I've written anything.)**

**Huge thanks to all of you who stayed with this story for so long and big welcome to any new readers! As before, reviews, favourites, and follows are appreciated. Constructive criticism is also welcome.**

**-IllusionaryMagician**

**(Previously SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	2. Intro Arc: Chapter 2:  Attack

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does!

**Chapter 2: Attack**

_"Where am I?"_Alfred wondered, everything was dark and he felt like he was floating. He tried to open his eyes or move his limbs but nothing gave the slightest twitch. It was odd, he couldn't see, feel, or speak, yet he could think perfectly well.

_"How did I get here?"_ He thought, trying to keep calm. He thought back to this morning, maybe if he replayed his day, he could figure something out.

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><p>Sixteen-year-old Alfred Jones woke to the sound of his alarm clock ringing. He reached over and pushed the button to turn it off. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and placing his glasses on and looking around his room.<p>

To most it would be a normal Friday morning, but to Alfred, today marked the day, only a year ago when he became the Jones family's only child, the day when this small beige bedroom became his and his alone, the day when his twin brother, Matthew, was hit by a truck and killed.

Alfred sighed, he would just get through this day. It was like any other normal day, he assured himself, as he stood up. He moved over to his closet, throwing on a navy blue t-shirt and some jeans, grabbing some socks as he walked downstairs into the kitchen.

When he entered, he saw his father sitting at the table, reading the newspaper as his mother cooked some eggs in a pan. The morning sunlight streamed through the window, reflecting off the white tile that lined the floor. The light blue walls almost glowing as he pulled out a chair and sat.

"Morning Alfred" His father said gruffly, not looking up from his newspaper.

"Good morning dear." His mother called, moving the eggs around the pan.

"Good morning mom, dad." Alfred said. Though the room was brightly colored, Alfred figured that anyone could feel the dark layer of sadness that lingered in the kitchen. He sighed, eating the eggs from his plate that his mom had set on the table in front of him.

"Alfred," His mom said, breaking the solemn silence in the room. "Your father and I are going to be out all of today, we won't be back until late tonight…"

Alfred swallowed his mouthful of egg. "What? But I thought we were all going to visit Mattie's grave when I got home from school today!"

His mother and father flinched at their deceased son's name, but Alfred didn't care, how could they not go? Wasn't that what they planned?

"Now Alfred, I know that we planned to do that but…" His mother trailed off, letting his father speak.

"We can't do it Alfred, not now… tomorrow maybe. We just can't go now." His father said, quietly, almost scared. It was clear that though they had gotten through the year fine, the pain was still as fresh as ever. Alfred could understand, but this was Matthew they were talking about, Matthew wouldn't just skip over someone's… someone's death day, his brother was a very punctual guy and it seemed almost rude to just miss it.

"Fine, but… I'll still be going tonight, if you decide to come." He said, finishing his eggs and grabbing his bag, hurrying out of the house before his parents could say anything more. He stompped down the porch steps and hurried in the direction of his school.

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><p>His school day was uneventful; he received a few pats on the back from friends, a few sad looks and was even excused from gym class. He sighed as he looked at his recent test score, 44%. Well, it was in his French class, which he never really understood. Still, he remembered Mattie was always great at French; he probably would have helped Alfred…<p>

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he grabbed his keys and opened the door. Stepping inside and dropping his bag on the kitchen counter, he grabbed the note on the table; no doubt it was from his parents. Not bothering to read it he placed it in his pocket, and looked around the house, checking his watch, it was about 4pm, he had enough time to go out and buy some flowers before he visited his brother.

Grabbing his keys, Alfred tugged his shoes on and hurried out the door, locking it and going down the street towards the florists.

The bells tinkled as he entered the shop, the smell of various flowers hitting his nostrils. Alfred looked around, peering into the various displays.

"Hello, can I help you sir?" A voice called, as a tall man wearing a grey shirt and black pants stepped out from behind the counter. He looked at Alfred with deep brown eyes, yet Alfred had to look away, for some reason, he was getting odd vibes from the guy…

"Oh, yeah! I was looking for some white flowers." Alfred said, as he diverted his eyes to a small potted plant.

"Hmm… well I just got some white lilies? Would those do?" The man asked, motioning to some white lilies in a bucket to his left.

Alfred nodded, "Yes, those are perfect."

Alfred moved over to the cash register, handing the man some bills. The man passed him the flowers, and Alfred couldn't help but notice that the man's skin was almost as white as the flowers. He should get more sun…

"Thanks dude!" Alfred called as he left the shop, noticing a chill go down his neck as the man stared after him.

He didn't know why, but that man had given him chills. He was glad to be out of there…

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><p>Standing at Matthew's grave felt so strange. He had only been here once before, during the funeral. Alfred sighed, "Hey bro… It been a year. I'm sorry I haven't visited."<p>

The wind whipped around him, as though his brother was there, saying hello.

"It's been really different without you here. I… I really miss you." Alfred said, sighing as he sat on the ground in front of his brother's grave. It felt strange, knowing that ten feet below him, Matthew's body lay in a coffin.

"I brought some flowers. I know it's not much, but well, I can't really bring any maple leaves." He said, remembering how much his brother loved maple syrup. Should he have brought some maple candy perhaps? Alfred placed the flowers on his brother's grave, the wind still whipping around him.

"Um… Mom and Dad, haven't been the same since you left. I know you never thought we cared much, but we did. You were a big part of the family…" Alfred said, he remembered how Matthew sometimes came to him, complaining how no one seems to remember him.

Before he could stop them, the tears he had been holding back all day broke through his tough façade. He sat there curling his arms around his legs and crying. The whole year, he had tried to keep strong for his family; his mother had become quieter, almost like she had folded in on herself. His father on the other hand, became short tempered and had less patience.

Alfred continued crying, letting it all out, when he heard something he thought he would never hear again.

_"Al, please don't cry. I don't like seeing you cry..."_

Alfred looked up immediately, eyes widening as he recognized the voice.

"Mattie?" He called. The only answer was the wind as it blew harder, causing him to shiver. Did he just imagine that? He could have sworn he heard his brother's soft voice speak to him, a voice he hadn't heard for a whole year. He looked around; all he could see were headstones and some trees.

"It must have just been the wind… or maybe I'm going crazy?" Alfred mumbled. It was getting dark; the sun was almost gone as early evening stars shone in the sky. Turning back to Matthew's grave, he sighed. "I'd better go Mattie… I'll visit again though." Alfred said and meant it. He had always been a little afraid to come, with his fear of ghosts… but… he could do it now.

He sighed, standing up and dusting himself off. "Later Mattie." He said as he walked away from the grave. By the time he exited the graveyard, the sun had set and the rest of the stars were out. He looked up and saw the moon, it was almost full. In a week it was bound to be full, maybe he would visit Mattie again on that night?

The wind blew, rustling the last of the leaves on the trees, for an early November evening, it was awfully cold. Of course, he knew that if Matthew was walking with him, he would say that the weather was too warm. Even though Matthew was pretty thin, it seemed like he never felt the cold.

Alfred exhaled, his breath making a small vapor cloud before disappearing. Matthew, why did it have to happen to you? He thought about the man who had hit Matthew, cleared of all charges with a powerful lawyer representing him . He just got to walk away, which Alfred did not like at all. Though the thought was the complete opposite of heroic, he hoped the man would get what was coming to him…

Suddenly, Alfred heard a shuffle from behind him, he stopped, looking around. The street he was walking on was completely empty. He began to walk faster, looking downwards. He could have sworn he heard something behind him. A loud clatter got Alfred to start running, he was almost there, if he could get to the main street, maybe whoever was following him would leave.

The wind picked up, chilling him, but he continued to run; only a few more meters to go.

_"Alfred! Duck!"_

His eyes widened hearing the voice before he felt something tackle his legs and he fell. Struggling to get up, he turned around, suddenly wishing he hadn't. His eyes locked onto a dark figure, the light from the streetlamps hidden behind an awning. The figure had bright red eyes, and grinned at Alfred, exposing two sharp incisors.

Alfred stared, Wh-What the hell? He was about to let out a very un-heroic scream when the shadowy figure jumped forwards, pushing him backwards on the ground. A loud crack was heard as Alfred's head hit the pavement. He became still, stunned by the impact. The shadowed figure moved into the light, and Alfred could see the same face of the man in the floral shop, the very one who had sold him the flowers. After that he had blacked out as the man moved towards him.

A few moments later, Alfred regained consciousness, he kept his eyes closed as he tried to focus, his head ached badly and there was an annoying slurping sound near him. He wished it would stop.

He tried moving his arms, or his legs, but nothing moved in the slightest. His eyes shot open in a panic and he saw the florist leaning over him. The florist sat up, his eyes had turned from that bright red color back into the deep brown that Alfred had seen back in the shop.

"Oh? You're awake? That's a shame. Its better when they're unconscious, prevents panicking… and doesn't waste the blood." The florist said with an even tone. "Oh well, I'm almost done here. Pretty soon it won't matter. Besides, I already cut the nerves, so no matter what. You're not going anywhere." He said a grin on his face. Some red liquid was dripping down his chin, onto the pavement beneath him.

Alfred's eyes widened. What the hell? He tried to say something, anything, but it came out as a strangled gurgle. He eyes moved around frantically as black dots appeared in his vision.

"What's that? Oh, you're trying to talk?" The florist said nonchalantly. "Sorry buddy, but you can't. I've severed through the voice box. Actually, I'm surprised you're still alive. Looking at the wounds I made in your neck, you should be dead."

At this point Alfred's vision was darkening and blurry, the spots growing bigger. He remembered hearing a sound and seeing the florist running away. He felt cold, and then a second later he felt nothing at all as he succumbed to the darkness, with a single thought in his mind.

_Death sucks…_

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><p><strong>Authors Note: There! Chapter... 1? Well, it's Chapter 2... But really, I would actually call this a real chapter, judging by the length and all. Really, its a recap of his day... So you know what happened, and you can probably guess what will happen... Yup... *sighs* Sorry... I think it might get a bit more exciting later... *sulks back to the doubting corner of woe, feeling her confidence fade...*<strong>

**Thanks for reading! *gives you a cookie* I'll do my best to put up the next chapter within the week!**

**Reviews are welcome! (Any kind! Though, grammar and spelling is always appreciated!) Flames... Well, I could use them to heat my freezing home? I think... Or roast marshmallows?**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	3. Intro Arc: Chapter 3: Ghost

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Alfred sighed, that was how his day had gone. He was still in this odd state of floating, unable to see anything.<p>

_Perfect, so I must be dead then… _He thought. _I wonder where Mattie is? Surely he would meet me in heaven right?_

Suddenly, Alfred felt an odd prickling in his fingers; it started as a small warm feeling but grew hotter as the tingling shot up his arms. The feeling proceeded down his spine all the way to his toes, leaving his body feeling as though it had been tossed into a volcano.

He wanted to scream in agony, but no sound came out as the burning feeling, somehow, grew even more intense. His heart began to pound quickly, and if he wasn't in so much pain, he would probably wonder why his heart was beating if he was dead…

The fiery pain rose and fell, like waves in an ocean, and eventually Alfred grew weary. He no longer tried to move, knowing it would do no good, he was completely paralyzed.

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><p>Time went by, Alfred didn't know how long, or if there even was time in wherever he was. Slowly but surely, the fiery pain began to die down, and was a mere tingling. As the pain faded, he noticed that his heart, which had been beating rapidly the whole time, was silent. He couldn't hear it at all and vaguely wondered if it meant he was officially dead?<p>

By then, the pain was more bearable and he just lay there in that odd dark space, still not seeing or feeling anything.

The tingling started to fade, and he thought he could hear voices. It was very far off, as if someone was speaking through layers of blankets, but he could pick out a few words.

"Is…okay? ... Days… Too late?" one voice said.

"Been here… not…room…" another voice called.

Alfred wondered what they were talking about, and where they were coming from. He focused closely, straining to hear more clearly, until he heard a familiar voice.

"Is… okay? Has…up…yet?"

"Not… soon… Maybe…"

"Okay… I will… Of course…"

That voice, it was familiar! He knew it from somewhere, but where? The tingling had moved down to his feet, the rest of his body feeling somewhat numb. He decided to try to move something one more time. Focusing all of his energy on his hand, he tried hard to make it move.

To his surprise, his hand twitched, then closed easily, as though he had never lost movement. He tried again, this time with his other hand, which opened and closed with the same amount of ease. The voices had suddenly gotten sharper, and clearer.

He tried focusing, attempting to move other parts of his reluctant body. It felt like he had never done these simple body movements before. It felt as though he was leaden. He opened his eyes, then immediately shut them, the light that had streamed through was almost blinding. It must have been om for who-being in darkness for who-knows-how-long.

Alfred slowly opened his eyes again. The first thing he noticed was the fact that he was lying in bed, in a room with deep red walls and a white ceiling. The second thing was that someone was leaning over him. The person had extremely pale skin, and looked almost like he was floating above him, instead of leaning.

Alfred panicked, thinking it was that florist who must have come back for whatever reason; he thrust his hands out, and was shocked when they went right through the person. With that, he froze. Wait… if he or she wasn't solid that meant…?

A strangled cry escaped Alfred's throat as he sat up, his whole body going through the ghost. He moved backwards on the bed, his back hitting the headboard.

The ghost sighed, opening and closing its mouth. Probably saying something, but Alfred was too terrified to hear anything, grabbing the nearby blankets and covering his head, trembling. He heard a soft voice mumble something and hear the door open and close.

Lowering the covers, Alfred looked around. The ghost had left the room. Sighing in relief, he dropped the covers completely, taking a good look around the room.

The walls were indeed red, but on closer inspection, there was an intricate pattern of leaves in thin black lines, almost unnoticeable to the naked eye. How odd that he could see them, the whole reason he needed glasses was to see details like that, yet he didn't feel the familiar heavy feeling of his glasses on his face.

He looked down at himself; he was wearing a thin white shirt and some grey shorts. One thing for sure, these definitely weren't his clothes! Where were his clothes, not to mention his favorite coat? His head turned in every which way, eyes darting around the room as he looked for his clothes, sighing in relief as he saw them folded on a table, his glasses placed on top of the pile.

Alfred spun around, placing his feet on the ground; the tingling had long since disappeared. He stood up and took some shaky steps forward. It felt like it had been ages since he had stood on his own two feet. He staggered over to his clothes, and put them on. He folded up the other clothes and placed them on the table.

Out of habit, he slipped on his glasses, though; they didn't seem to do anything. In fact, it seemed like his vision just got slightly worse, but suddenly it cleared up, everything coming back into focus.

_Strange…_ Alfred thought, as he inspected his coat, he expected that the coat would be covered in the red liquid the florist was covered in. He shuddered, only now realizing that it had been his blood…

Taking a quick look around, Alfred sighed. Heaven was definitely a weird place… If he was in heaven that is, he wasn't too sure anymore… He walked to the door, placing his hand on the door knob, when he heard some people talking outside.

"You bloody idiot, why didn't you just wait for us or something! Now that boy is probably scared senseless!" a voice said. To Alfred, it sounded English perhaps? Well… If he was in heaven, it would be multicultural right?

" Sorry, I just haven't seen him in a year! I didn't think he would wake up right now!" a softer voice said. Alfred knew that voice! But, from where? For some reason, he couldn't remember much about… anything really. All he could remember was the fiery pain. Anything before that time was blurry and muddled. He continued to listen, his ear pressed against the door.

"I understand, but I don't think the boy would appreciate being woken by a ghost. Didn't you once say he was terrified of ghosts?" The English voce said.

"Well… yes… sorry." The soft voice said meekly.

"Oh, never mind. It's not a big deal, this time I'll go in." The english voice replied.

"Is that a good idea? What if he notices your… well… you know, they're sort of noticeable…" The soft voice said.

"Well, no one remotely normal looking is here right now Matthew." The english voice said exasperatedly.

Matthew! That's his brother's name! He felt so stupid for not recognizing his own brother! So… if Matthew was here, that meant he must be in heaven! Awesome! Maybe he would see some angels or something.

"Matthe-" Alfred opened the door excitedly; however the first thing he noticed was the ghost he had seen only a few moments ago. He gave a high pitched scream, slammed the door closed and once again, dived under the covers.

Though he was buried under a layer of blankets, he could still vaguely hear them.

"Bloody hell! That hurt my ears! You see? I told you it's best to wait for someone…" The English voice said, sighing.

"Erh… Right, maybe you should go inside first." The soft voice said.

Alfred heard the door open, and immediately started trembling. "G-G-Go away ghost! I'm not appetizing or anything! S-So just go and, I don't know, do ghost things! Leave me alone!"

Alfred heard footsteps as someone approached the bed, sighing, then the next thing he knew, the bed covers were whisked off him.

Panicking, he grabbed the closest thing to him, which happened to be a pillow, and started to swing it around wildly.

"Ah! Ow, you bloody git! Stop swinging that pillow around!"

Alfred stopped, not because the voice asked him to, but because…He opened his eyes. "Hey wait…. You're not a ghost… This pillow would go through you and you wouldn't feel anything!" He said, taking a closer look at the person.

Standing in front of the bed was a short boy with messy blond hair and deep green eyes, some very large eyebrows furrowed in an expression of displeasure, as he rubbed his head. The boy was wearing a white shirt with a green sweater vest on top, brown pants, black shoes. However, what stood out most to Alfred, were the large white wings on his back, and a glowing yellow halo on top of his head.

He forgot all about being scared. He jumped down from the bed, circled the angel and poked his wings.

"Are these real? They're really soft!" Alfred said, not noticing the angel's expression changing from displeasure to annoyance. The angel turned around, slapping Alfred's hand.

"Yes they're real you bloody git!" He said angrily, wincing as Alfred poked the angel's head. "Hey! Don't do that, I'm still recovering from your pillow pummeling!"

Alfred stopped and laughed. "Haha, oh right!" he said, stepping back from the angel.

"Ugh, whatever." The angel said, sighing. "Anyways, I'm not going to bother with a formal introduction… It doesn't seem like you would listen anyways."

"Eh? What?" Alfred asked, moving forward, sifting his hand through the angel's halo now.

The angel groaned, there wasn't any getting through to this guy. Suddenly, a white, translucent silhouette of a teenage boy came right through the wall. "Arthur, you're not going to get him to listen if you speak like that…" it said.

"Eyagh! Heaven has ghosts!" Alfred said panicking and hiding behind Arthur.

The ghost tilted his head. "Eh? Heaven?"

"This git thinks he is in heaven. Talk some sense into him Matthew, he isn't going to listen to me." Arthur said, walking over to the wall.

"Hey! Where are you going, you're my shield against the ghost!" Alfred said, whining.

The angel glared, "Stop whining and take a closer look at the ghost you git! Surely you recognize him!"

Alfred looked at the angel in shock. "What! Look at the ghost closer! Are you out of your mind! I'd rather jump out that window! In fact-" He turned to the window, ready to jump. He was in heaven after all, he can't get hurt! Anything to get him away from this ghost.

"Al, you haven't changed much in a year…" The ghost said, sighing. His voice was soft, reminding Alfred once again of someone

Forgetting the urge to run through the window in a vain attempt to get away, he stopped and turned back to face the ghost. "Eh? " he said, taking a few hesitant steps towards the ghost... "You s-sound like my brother M-Matthew…"

The ghost looked up at Alfred, who was a good inch taller. Alfred gasped. The eyes behind those thin glasses, the little hair curl that was bobbing in an invisible wind. Even the faint outline of clothes on the ghost was all a familiar sight.

"M-Matthew?" Alfred said, the name sounding foreign on his tongue.

"Hey Al… Long time no see…" Matthew said, his voice so quiet, and so familiar, Alfred almost thought he heard wrong.

However, as soon as he heard these words, his vision grew dark and his eyes rolled as he blacked out. The last thing he heard was his brother, the ghost, calling his name in worry.

"Eh? Alfred!"

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Well, here's Chapter 3! I bet everyone saw that coming... *not very good at mystery...* <strong>

**Well, now begins the longest part, which I apologize in advance for. Its a couple of chapters of introductions... So, not much plot will happen. But I won't spoil anything. Hmm... Can anyone guess what kind of monsters the others will be? ****Well, its not a competition or anything, but if you feel like it?**

**Anyways! Thank you to those who reviewed! I won't use names in case people don't like that. But please know your thanked! Another thanks to those who Favorited and Alerted! I wasn't expecting that at all! *gives cookies to all of you***

**Now, I'm off on a holiday trip... So I might not update until New Years! Sorry to all of you who are following this story... Eh... It's not a very long time, and I doubt many are sad about it, but still! Just a heads up for those who care! (^_^)**

**Reviews are appreciated! Flames will be used to light these oddly scented candles that just came from storage!**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	4. Intro Arc: Chapter 4: Impossible

_I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does_

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><p><em>"Amy, you can't stay in this room forever…" A man's voice called from a doorway. He looked into the beige room, eyes resting on the woman lying on the nearby bed. The blinds were drawn, so even though it was light outside, the room was almost pitch black, the atmosphere gloomy.<em>

_He stepped into the room, sitting on the bed, making no noise. The sound of her quiet sobs filling his ears._

_"The police have done everything, but nothing has turned up… He has just vanished."_

_Amy looked up from the bed, tears pouring from her eyes. "I can't do this Drew, not again. Not so soon…"_

_Drew looked at her, sadness swimming in his eyes… He shared her pain…_

_"Amy, I know it's hard, but you need to get up. You've been here a whole week... We can't… We just can't-"_

_Drew stopped, taken by surprise as his wife clung to him tightly, her tears cascading down her face and staining his shirt._

_"We can't-" Drew began. He could feel the tears swimming in his own eyes, spilling over and dropping on his wife's shirt, leaving dark marks. He was trying to be strong, like his son was, but it just wasn't working."We can't just-"_

_"Why now, Drew?" Amy asked, interrupting him. "The last day we saw him; why then?" She sobbed into his shirt, her words muffled._

_**Mom? Dad?**_

_Both of them looked up in surprise… Eyes darted around the room, searching for the source, but all they saw was his old things, lying just as he left them a week ago._

_Amy's eyes watered again, she must have heard wrong… He wasn't here…_

_**Please don't cry… I love you guys, I don't want to see you cry!**_

_Drew's eyes widened as he heard that loud, familiar voice… It wasn't real, right?_

_Drew looked around the room as Amy buried her face in his shoulder again. For one moment, he thought he saw something…a slight shimmer in the room… It was so faint though, that later; he would simply think it was just from the tears that blurred his vision._

_It had disappeared a moment later, yet somehow, he was pacified, convinced that-_

_"-He will be okay…" He whispered, holding his wife close, not entirely believing it, yet, not really denying it either. It was all he could say for now…_

Standing a few feet away, in a corner of the room, a boy watched the scene. There were tears in his eyes as he could do nothing but observe. When he awoke in the familiar room, he saw his mother lying on the bed and had spent the last few minutes trying to get her attention.

After a few minutes, he deduced it was useless, she couldn't see him. Then when his father entered, he tried once more, but neither reacted.

He vainly tried speaking to them, not knowing what else to do. He didn't know if they had heard him, but he tried with all his might to convey a message.

As he was about to say something more, the room dissolved away and Alfred's eyes opened. He sat up, his vision blurred by a few wet tears.

He hastily rubbed them away, and then focused on what was happening around him. What he heard brought a strangled cry of surprise from his throat.

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><p>Matthew watched as Alfred collapsed in a heap. "Eh? Alfred!" He called our in surprise.<p>

He floated over, bending down about to try to pick him up, but then remembered that he was only a ghost. Even a year later, being a ghost was still hard to get used to…

He backed off, watching as Arthur picked up Alfred, having a bit of trouble, but still managing to place him back on the bed. Arthur turned around and looked at Matthew.

"Erh… Sorry Arthur… I guess it wasn't a good time to come inside…" Matthew said, sighing.

"Well, the idiot was going to find out anyway, so now is as good a time as ever. Though, did you hear what he said? He thinks that he is in heaven!" Arthur said, laughing.

Matthew gave a small chuckle; that was a funny thought. "Well… I suppose he would think that. After all, if I'm here, his only explanation would be Heaven."

"Still… It's more like he woke up in hell." Arthur mumbled quietly.

Matthew gave a nod, "Yes… I don't know how he will take it… Still, the good thing is he can leave right Arthur?"

Arthur sighed, Matthew still hadn't been informed of his brothers… situation.

"Well, actually…" Arthur began, trailing off… It's not his business, someone would tell him right?

Matthew stopped floating, spinning around. "Eh? What do you mean by actually?" He asked; a confused look on his face.

"Well… You know how we found him in the street?" Arthur said, he supposed now was as good a time as ever to tell Matthew, right?

"Yes?" Matthew said, nodding.

Arthur nodded. "Yes. When we got there, he was indeed attacked; like you had reported. But, it was what he was attacked by…" Arthur trailed off again, his brain telling him to stop and leave, let someone else tell the boy. It wasn't his business.

"Well? What was it? Was it a dog… Oh, did you have to kill it? The owner will be sad…" Matthew said, sighing, hearing a shuffling sound from behind him. He gave it no notice as he listened to Arthur.

Arthur shook his head. "No.. that's not it… I.. The…" Arthur took a deep breath. "He was attacked by a vampire."

Matthew was still, digesting this bit of information. Arthur braced himself for the question.

"So… then, you got to him before… before the vampire bit him right?" Matthew asked, his voice sounding almost desperate.

Arthur looked carefully at Matthew, not speaking, but merely shaking his head.

"So then Alfred, since… since he isn't dead… He's been out for days… Then, that would mean… Alfred is… He is a-" Matthew couldn't say it, he just couldn't. He felt that if he did, it would be confirmation. That his brother… His brother had become-

"A vampire." Arthur said, finishing Matthew's sentence.

Suddenly Matthew and Arthur heard a sort of strangled sound. They turned to the bed, their eyes widening in surprise as Alfred stared at them, his mouth open and a look of shock on his face. Clearly he must have woken up and overheard the conversation. That must have been the sound Matthew heard before.

"Al! Its-"

"You guys are nuts! Wh-What-." Alfred cried out, his eyes widening as his brain went into overdrive.

Matthew knew what was going to happen before Arthur could even react.

"I have to get out of here!" Alfred said, jumping out of the bed, bumping into Arthur as he ran to the door. He flung it open and before Arthur could stand back up, or Matthew could move, Alfred disappeared into the hallway.

"Ow! That bloody git! Next time I see him, I'm going to-"

"Arthur! We have a bigger problem! My brother, who happens to be afraid of ghosts and other scary things, is running around our school! Do you know what can happen if he sees the other students? He will freak out and probably do something stupid and hurt himself!" Mathew yelled, trying to get the boys attention. He cared about his brother, and would prefer that the others don't beat him to a pulp, or give him a heart attack…

Arthur sighed, standing up and brushing himself off. "I know. I know! Calm down Matthew!" he said, trying to calm the boy down. He could understand his fears perfectly well, but it wouldn't do them any good unless they took a moment to think. "Think, he can't leave the school, and he is probably feeling pretty weak. He will need blood soon, now that he is a-"

"Don't!" Matthew cried, covering his ears with his hands. Arthur jumped; he had never heard Matthew speak that loudly before.

"I can't… not now…" Matthew said, lowering his hands.

"Okay, well… Let's just hurry and search. If you find him, take him to the office. I'm sure Roma can explain things in a more… Calming manner." Arthur said.

Matthew sighed, floating through the floor. "I'll search the bottom floors for now." He called before he disappeared.

Arthur gave a nod, though, Matthew probably didn't notice it. "He's going to have to accept it soon." Arthur mumbled, turning around and walking out the door.

"Whether Matthew likes it or not… Alfred is stuck here, just like the rest of us."

**Authors Note: Well, I managed to get this uploaded using Memory USB and borrowing someones computer! (^_^)**

**Well, sorry this one is kind of short compared to the others. I had trouble fitting in Alfred's parents, but it at least made it a bit longer. It's hard, I was going to fit them in later, but looking at where it would go, that's probably a few chapters away. So hopefully, this wasn't to out of place. **I don't want to completely close the issue. I have future plans, and hopefully they'll work out more smoothly. ****

****I apologize if you're not satisfied with this chapter however... I also apologize that this seems to be moving slowly? I think it might be, but hopefully the plot will begin to build. (-_-")...****

**Thanks for sticking around all you readers; and thank you for the Alerts and Reviews too! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sometime around New Years!**

**Reviews are appreciated! I would love to hear your thoughts! Flames will be used to burn all of this leftover Christmas turkey, which will be made into sandwiches eventually... *doesn't like turkey***

**Happy Boxing Day! (^o^)**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	5. Intro Arc: Chapter 5: Strange Encouters

_I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does._

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><p>Alfred ran down the hallway. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but at the moment he didn't care.<p>

A vampire? That was absurd! Completely crazy. It just can't be true! Matthew and that other boy, Arthur, must have been crazy or… or delusional! Things like vampires existed in movies or books, not in real life! Especially not heaven…

That thought brought a new question. Was he really in heaven? He had been wondering that ever since he saw Matthew, whom he was one-hundred-percent sure, was that ghost he had seen. Maybe Matthew had just decided not to be an angel?

Alfred sighed, slowing down from his run and walking instead. He was feeling weak, he hadn't noticed it before, too full of adrenaline from the shock, he suspected, but now he was feeling weary.

"Ugh… How do I get out of this place?" He mumbled. He wasn't sure what he would do once he managed to escape, but anywhere was better than here… Perhaps he could find Grandma Abbey once he got out? Hopefully she was an angel, not a ghost…

As he walked through the hallways, Alfred noticed that there were many doors with small translucent windows, lining the walls. He stopped and peered into one of them, and could see the faint outline of people on the other side. They were sitting, he guessed, from the posture of the silhouettes.

He stepped back, and continued walking. As he moved further down the hall, he saw lockers, all lined up against the walls, in between each of the doors.

_Am I in a school?_ Alfred wondered.

By this point he was really lost. He stopped in front of a staircase, looking around. Perhaps there was someone he could ask?

Suddenly a bell rang overhead, causing Alfred to jump. Doors opened and people filed out of the rooms. Turning around, Alfred intended to stop someone and ask them for some help, but froze mid-turn.

Something was odd about all of these people. Most of them looked normal, but there were slight differences that made Alfred feel like screaming and hiding back under the bed covers. Some people seemed to have pointy ears or sharp teeth. Others had even more prominent features, such as blue skin or fur.

He was about to ask a nearby person, who looked normal enough and whom Alfred could approach without panicking and running away, until Alfred noticed the eyes, which were a pure white, causing him to yelp in surprise and back away against a wall.

Alfred felt like he was in a monster movie, and this was the part of the movie when the monsters turn around and see the character, then attack and eat him…

Giving another, highly un-heroic shout, he ran down some nearby stairs to the ground floor, and spying an open door, he ran inside, slamming it closed. He panted heavily, not from exhaustion but from fear, he leaned against the door, afraid the monsters could kick the door open at some point if he didn't hold it back. He slipped downwards, sitting on the ground, attempting to calm himself.

What the hell! This was too weird! He must have ended up in hell or something! Though, if he was in hell, Matthew was too… Bummer…

Alfred shook his head, clearing his thoughts. No time for that now… He just had to get out of here. Yeah, if he got out, then there wouldn't be a problem and he won't be stuck in this… this monster school.

Feeling calmer, Alfred raised his head, looking around the room. Where did he end up anyway? He was running like a crazy person, so he never noticed what room he went into.

His breath caught in his throat as three boys… Monsters… Whatever they were, stared at him.

"Ve~ Hey look! It's… Erh… Actually, I've never seen him before…" One of them said, his smile changing to a confused frown when he couldn't recognize Alfred. He had dark red hair and brown eyes, a small hair curl sticking out of the back of his head. He was wearing, oddly enough, a blue sailor suit and white shoes… To Alfred, the boy would look pretty normal, if not for the large white wings on his back.

Was this boy an angel too? Alfred wondered why he didn't have a halo like the other angel…

"Hmm, I've never seen him before either Feliciano… Kiku, you know the school and the students better than us, have you seen him before?" Said another boy. This one was looking at Alfred as though he was examining him. He had very short blonde hair; which looked like it was slicked back with gel or something?

The boy narrowed his eyes; as he continued to stare at Alfred. He looked pretty displeased at the interruption... What stood out to Alfred most, was the wherever this boy walked, it was like he left a faint trail of fire, before it burned out. In fact, Alfred could swear that he saw little flashes of fire appear in various places on the boy's body, but they vanished as quickly as they came… Alfred wondered why the boy's clothes, a dark shirt and some green jeans, weren't ashes by now…

"No Ludwig-san, I've never seen him before. Perhaps he is a new student here?" A short boy said, shaking his head. He had short black hair, which didn't do much to hide his pointy ears. As he moved around, Alfred could feel static electricity bounce around in the air, and he shivered, as though and invisible gust of wind had blown through the room. The boy's clothing, which basically looked like some old traditional Japanese attire, a dark blue kimono, Alfred thought, was fluttering in some unseen and unfelt wind.

Alfred was rooted to the spot, instead of getting away from the monsters; he was stuck with three of them in a room! He started shaking, his legs trembling. Well… he had a good life… Afterlife… Right?

"Ve? Hey, why is he all shaky? Is he afraid of something?" The red headed boy asked, turning around and looking behind him, then turning back when he saw nothing scary. "Ve, I don't see anything?"

"Hmm, actually Feliciano-san, he looks pretty normal… Do you think he is human?" The small boy, Kiku, asked. _At least_, Alfred thought, _that's what the red-headed boy called him…_

"Well, he does look pretty normal, but you know the rules, humans aren't allowed here. So, he is either human or a very normal looking monster." The blond boy said.

"Ve? Really, Ludwig? A human! That would be neat! I haven't seen one in months!" The red headed boy, Feliciano, said happily.

"Hah, by seen, I bet you meant eaten…" Alfred mumbled, voicing his thoughts unintentionally.

"Ve? Eaten? Oh no, I don't eat humans! I like normal food! Stuff like pasta! Pasta is delicious~ Actually…" Feliciano turned to Ludwig, who was still looking at Alfred, eyebrows furrowed in concentration…. "Ludwig! Can we go get some pasta now? I'm hungry!"

Just like that Ludwig stopped staring, blinking and looking at the smiling boy standing next to him.. "What? We can't Feliciano, we still have another class before lunch! Be patient, you can't keep thinking of your stomach so much!"

"Ve… fine…" Feliciano replied, sighing. He turned back to Alfred. "So… Are you human?" He asked casually.

Alfred stared at the three, scrambling to his feet. "What the hell? You monsters just had a normal conversation together? Shiesh, so the moment I turn around, you're going to jump on me and eat me? Is that it?" He asked, still extremely cautious, and highly skeptical of Feliciano's eating habits.

"Ve? Monsters? That not a very nice term…" Feliciano frowned, looking sad.

"Geh! I don't have time for this; I'm getting out of here before you eat me!" Alfred said, pointing at the three confused boys. He turned around, opening the door and running out of the room, leaving the three to stare after him.

"That boy was very odd… But, he seems normal, not to mention he has a normal reaction to us. I think he must be human…" Kiku said, turning to look at his companions.

Feliciano nodded, but Ludwig shook his head. "No, though I admit he does look human, something tells me he isn't."

"Ve? Really? So that was a new classmate then!" Feliciano said cheerfully, clapping his hands in joy as his wings made small flapping motions, further expressing his happiness and excitement.

Suddenly, from behind Kiku, a white, nearly transparent figure appeared, moving through the wall as though it wasn't there. Used to the intrusions, the three turned around facing the figure.

"Oh! Matthew-san, where have you been?" Kiku asked politely. Matthew sighed, looking around the room.

"I've been around. I'm looking for someone; he looks a lot like me. Blonde hair, glasses, oh and a strand of hair sticks out of his head, kind of like mine." Matthew said absently, floating around the room, looking under the tables for Alfred.

"Hmm… That sounds like the boy who was just here." Ludwig said. "He interrupted out early morning Newspaper Club meeting…"

"Ve~ Yes, he came in here and then got scared of us, I think… He called us monsters, which I think was sort of rude…" Feliciano said, sighing. He didn't really like that term, though, deep inside, he knew it was probably what anyone would think if they saw him or his friends.

Matthew stopped floating around the room, resting his feet on the ground instead of passing through it, looking at the three. "Well, he just woke up here and he… Isn't really taking this too… Calmly, I guess you could say." Matthew said, sighing. "Though, in his place, I apologize for interrupting your club meeting…"

The three nodded in understanding. "It is okay, Matthew-san." Kiku said.

"So, then is he human, or-Ludwig asked.

"Um… well, he's not human… Not anymore at least…" Matthew said, hoping it was enough of an explanation. He didn't want to talk about it until he found his brother…

"Well, the boy went out the door and headed left." Kiku said, sensing the tense emotions coming from Matthew. He wouldn't pry, though he was curious. Oh well, he had special sources if he really wanted information…

Matthew nodded, "Thanks Kiku!" He said, hurrying out, or more like through, the door.

"Hmm, I guess that's why the boy was acting all scared?" Feliciano said, remembering his first day at the school. That definitely scared away a few years of his lifetime!

"Still, didn't he say he was going to leave the school?" Ludwig wondered, "Didn't anyone tell him about the rules here?"

"I don't think so Ludwig-san, he seemed pretty uninformed, especially since he was so scared of all of us. He is going to have a shock if he gets to the school gates." Kiku said, shaking his head.

They all sighed, sitting down in their seats as the bell rang, all of them focusing towards the front of the room as they waited for the teacher to arrive.

_Ve~ I hope he will be okay. He seems like a nice person! I hope we can be good friends~_ Feliciano thought, focusing his attention to the front after Ludwig had given him a hard jab in the side.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: New chapter! Ehh… not much happened… You get a quick glimpse of some of the characters though! <strong>

**Ehe… Sorry, they don't really get introduced. That will be in a bit… I apologize for that… **

***Sighs* Agh… I feel like it's getting worse and worse with each chapter… (-.-" ) I need to keep trying! Next chapter, will be more fun? I think… Then I believe one or two chapters after that, more characters will be introduced, OFFICIALLY, so you will know what they are and all… I'll try my best, but I'm sorry if you didn't enjoy this… *determined to make it better***

***hand out cookies* Thanks for the alerts, fave's and reviews! Not many reviews, but that's okay, the alerts tell me someone reads this!**

**Reviews are really appreciated! Especially ones with suggestions on improvement, or any errors I missed, even something you wanted to toss my way like a question! **

**Flames, however, will be used to light the New Year fireworks! Which I don't have… But I can use the flames instead, to light a New Year candle!**

**Happy New Year everyone! (^_^ )**


	6. Intro Arc: Chapter 6: Acceptance

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>After running a fair distance away from that room, Alfred slowed himself to a walking pace. He still felt weak, and that encounter with those three didn't help him calm down either.<p>

He wandered for a while, the bell ringing as the monsters, or students, he guessed; went into the various rooms, not seeming to pay him any mind, and leaving him in an empty hallway once again.

_Wait, haven't I been down this hall before?_ He wondered. With all the various twists and turns he had made, the hallway seemed to be blending and merging into one huge blob! He couldn't tell where he was anymore. Not to say that he could tell from the beginning either, everything just looked the same. He cursed the guy who built and decorated the place; would it have really killed the guy to install some signs or something?

After another few minutes of wandering, Alfred finally saw what he was looking for; a door that led outside. With renewed vigor, he ran to the door, opening it and standing outside. It was dark outside, though he could tell it was only the clouds covering the sun.

Alfred took a quick look around; it appeared he was standing in a large courtyard. There was a long dirt road that curved behind a thick group of trees, a far distance ahead. Long rows of flowerbeds were on both sides of the road, though they were bare, since it was winter time...

He turned around, no wonder he was lost! The building behind him was huge! It seemed to span as far as the eye could see, its walls towering high above him. The whole school looked old to him, made out of grey stones and cement. Its dull brown-tile roof didn't really improve the overall look, either. He turned back, fixing his eyes on the dirt road.

_If I follow this, I bet I'll find the way out._ He thought, walking down the road. He would come back and get his brother later; he just needed to get out of this weird place first.

As Alfred neared the trees, he heard a faint shout. He stopped, the shout became clearer and as he turned around, Matthew's head poked out from one of the trees.

"Eyagh!" Alfred cried in surprise, his mind screaming to run, that was, until he registered that it was just his brother. He really had to remember that…

"Al! Thank god I finally caught up to you! If you had gone any further..." Matthew said, sighing in relief, the rest of his ghostly figure emerging from the tree. He floated over to Alfred, who was trying his best not to scream. Sure it was his brother, but a ghost was a ghost…

"Al, stop shaking like that! Yes I'm a ghost, but geez, I was hoping for a better greeting than a door in the face and a completely girly scream." Matthew said, a frown on his translucent face.

Alfred stopped shaking, feeling a little bad, until he realized his brother had just called him girly! "Hey! That scream was not girly!" he said, huffing and crossing his arms stubbornly.

Matthew looked at Alfred, a ghostly eyebrow raised, "Oh? You sure? 'Cause I heard a lot of girly screams today, and it just so happens, that each one of them has come from your lips."

"Pffth, Like your scream isn't girly! I remember when we found that frog in the pond! When I picked it up and showed it to you, you screamed like a girl and ran away!" Alfred retorted. He had already forgotten about his fear, doing his best to defend himself from Matthew, TOTALLY untrue statements.

"Hey! That was when we were six! Besides, that frog was huge! The eyes kept staring at me, then they blinked!" Matthew said. It was true! That green frog practically winked at him!

"Still, you screamed like a girl and it was in front of the neighbors! They never looked at you the same again! In fact, they started sending you pink towels for your birthday because they thought you really were a girl!" Alfred said.

"Our neighbors were 78! One of them was blind and who knows how well the old man could see! Besides, what about when you saw those three scary movies with me! You screamed like a girl and clung to me! You were practically choking me! Don't deny it either! It happens every time we watch a scary movie." Matthew said coolly.

Alfred was about to form another retort when the memory washed over him. He remembered that. It was only a year and a half ago; he had rented three horror movies and needed someone to watch them with, his brother being the first choice. He did scream, but despite being terrified, he was glad his brother had watched it with him. Only Matthew would really put up with his constant clinging and screaming, none of his friends would even consider watching them with him. The looks on their faces had told him that…

"Not to mention you spilled all the popcorn on me and I had to clean it up because you wouldn't come out from under the blankets." Matthew continued, not noticing Alfred's pause.

"I… Miss that… a lot…" Alfred mumbled sadly, not caring much about the argument anymore. He suddenly felt really tired and weary.

Matthew stopped, closing his mouth as wind blew around them, leaves on the ground blowing away as the two stood, or floated, in silence.

"I do too Al, I really do." Matthew said quietly. A blanket of silence and unspoken sadness had enveloped the two, the argument forgotten.

It had only been a year but both boys really did miss those times. Alfred missed his younger twin so much. He missed that light kick and the "Get dressed sleepy! We're going to be late!" every morning and the walks home from school, his brother teasing him for his grades, during the evenings. Now he would walk alone and come home to an empty house, his parents still busy at work…

Matthew missed his brother just as much; he missed seeing Alfred's happy face in the afternoons, and his brother's constant jokes. How his brother always cheered him up when he felt down and forgotten, and how Alfred would end up making him smile afterwards as he tickled his sides…

It was only a year ago, but to both of them, it had felt like ten… Even now, they still felt far from each other, because though they could see each other, they still couldn't actually touch each other…

"I always wished I could see you again, just for a few minutes even." Alfred said quietly, swiftly wiping the tears that had appeared as his mind raced through memory lane. He hoped Matthew didn't notice, because tears were so un-heroic.

"Me too, Al." Matthew said, floating closer and sitting on the grass. He had noticed his brother's tears, and there were some on his own face too, though, Alfred wouldn't have noticed them, they were as translucent as his body was...

Matthew wiped his eyes, just on the off chance that Alfred did notice. He desperately wanted to hug his brother but he couldn't; because he knew that if he tried, his arms would just go right through… "I just wish that we met on better terms… This place isn't that bad, but I don't really know much about it to tell you the truth."

Alfred looked up at his brother. "Eh? Haven't you been here a long time? You seem to know your way around at least." he said, remembering how lost he was. You had to have been here for a long time to navigate in those halls!

Matthew smiled, a quiet laugh escaping his lips. "Well, it's not hard to get around the school when you can just walk through all the walls Al…" He said.

"Oh, right… So then, this is a school? It's not heaven?" he asked questioningly.

Despite the solemn conversation, Matthew instantly burst into laughter. "Pftth, Al! You actually thought this place was Heaven! It far from that! Like Arthur said, this place is more like hell, with all the monsters and stuff. Besides, you don't see blue sky and white puffy clouds around here, do you?" Matthew said, still laughing.

"Hey, shut up! I just figured since you're here and I was pretty sure I had died that night! Besides, Arthur is an angel right? That sort of added to my theory." Alfred said, his face turning a light pink with embarrassment as his brother continued to laugh.

After a few moments, Matthew finally contained his laughter, clearing his throat and speaking. "Well, Arthur is an angel, but… Well, I'm sure he will tell you more about himself when you meet him again… Still, I would have thought you had dropped your This-Is-Heaven theory when you saw the school hallways and the lack of a bright and happy atmosphere." He said, giggling. It was just like Alfred to be that oblivious.

"Anyways, this place is not heaven. It's a school called Roma Antiqua High School, or Roma High for short." Matthew said.

"Oh. Uh, so how long have you been here then?" Alfred asked, changing the subject before his brother could tease him more.

Matthew thought for a moment before replying. "Well, I've only been here for three months. The months before that, I was sort of, wandering, I guess you could call it…" He mumbled.

Alfred could tell there was more than that; his brother wasn't a very good liar, but accepted the explanation for now. He would probably ask later though, he was naturally nosey!

After that, they sat together in silence, staring at the leaves as the wind blew them around. A lot of questions were on Alfred's mind, but there was one that stood out most…

"Hey Mattie… You wouldn't lie about this, I know you… So… In that room, when you were talking to that angel, Arthur. You guys said that I was attacked by… by a vampire. Is that true?" He asked, looking at the ghostly figure of his brother.

Matthew sat there, not saying anything but nodding his head, only slightly, but it was enough. "Yes."

A sinking feeling formed in his stomach as he asked his next question, fearing the answer.

"Then, after… Arthur, he… said that I was… a-" He swallowed, gathering his lingering courage he continued. "A vampire." He said, the word sounding strange as he spoke it... "Is that true Mattie?"

Matthew noticeably tensed at the word, his mind was screaming _No!_ Trying to deny it, and yet, Matthew knew the answer and he wouldn't lie to his brother about such an important subject. His brother knew him well…

"Yes Al… You're a vampire now. They were too late to stop him from biting you, and because they saved you before the vampire could finish, you changed. You've been out for a whole week and during that time, the change completed..." Matthew said.

Alfred was silent. He desperately wanted to deny it, but he knew it was true. He had noticed all these strange changes ever since he had woken up. How he could see better and didn't need his glasses. How he could hear better too. He was even faster, because even in gym, he could never run as fast as he did in the school. If those things didn't point to vampire, he might as well continue believing he was in Heaven.

"I'm sorry Al… I really am…" Matthew said sadly.

"It's not your fault Mattie! Really, it's no one's fault… Well, maybe that florist, but it's certainly not yours!" Alfred said frantically.

Matthew shook his head, "No it is! W-When you came to visit my grave that day, I had managed to make a kind of… connection with you because you were close by to my body, and that's why you heard my voice! I mean, I think so…" He raised one hand before Alfred could ask him to explain, he would tell him later anyways…

"When you were walking home, I could feel that something was following you, something bad-" Matthew continued, his voice shaking slightly. "and I panicked. I went to the office; I begged for them to do something and save you. Roma, our principal agreed, and he had sent a couple of students after you. If- if I hadn't then you would be dead, but at least you wouldn't be a vampire!" Matthew said exasperatedly, Alfred could see actually see faint, translucent tears falling down his brother's face. During his brother's explanation, he had ended up moving closer to Matthew.

"Hey! Don't cry Mattie. The way I see it, you were only trying to help. You couldn't tell it was a vampire. It was just my shoddy luck that it was, that's all. I'm not mad or anything!" Alfred said, trying to console his brother. He wanted to place a comforting hand on his brother, but it would go right through if he tried… All he could do was talk to Matthew, but he knew it wasn't working.

"Darn it Mattie, I wish you weren't a ghost, I can't hug you like this!" Alfred said, his frustration causing him to unintentionally voice his thoughts, unable to stop himself.

Matthew pouted, "I can't help that. I don't even know why I'm a ghost! I just remember that truck hitting me then blacking out and waking up standing on my grave!" Matthew said annoyed, wiping his tears away quickly. He hated it too, but.. There was nothing to be done for now…

Alfred winced at his brothers annoyed tone. "I know, sorry…" He sighed. He felt exhausted, his mind trying to process all of this. So he was a vampire, something that he only thought existed in movies and books, while on the other hand his brother was a ghost and even though he was glad his brother was still, somewhat alive, he couldn't do anything but stand and wave…

"Anyway, now that I finally found you," Matthew said, snapping Alfred from his thoughts. "I should take you to the office to meet the principal. I'm sure he will be happy to meet another new student." Matthew had his normal, quiet demeanor back, though Alfred could still see a little sadness in his brother's eyes…

"Eh? The principal? No way! I'm not staying here! Even if I'm a vampire, I don't want to attend a school full of monsters! What if they want to eat me!" Alfred said, realizing what his brother had just suggested. "I'll just leave a-and live in a cave or something!" Okay, to him that was a pretty lame excuse, but still! It was surely better than staying in this school full of monsters.

"Al, that sounds crazy and stupid and you know it." Matthew said, sighing at his brothers amazing thinking. He smiled slightly though, he missed his brother's crazy logic. "Anyways, even if you try to leave, you can't."

"Oh yeah? Just watch me!" Alfred said, standing up and walking down the road. To him it had sounded like Matthew had just challenged him, and a Hero never backs out from a challenge! However, Matthew was actually warning him, as he soon found out a moment later.

He took a few more steps down the dirt road, when his whole body seized up and he couldn't move. Next, a large pain that started from his head, shot down throughout his body, as though someone had electrically shocked him. He dropped on the ground, his body moving once again, but currently he was holding his head in pain.

"Ow! What the hell was that!" Alfred gasped, the pain finally stopping after about five minutes.

"Eh, I tried to warn you. If anyone tries to leave, that's what happens." Matthew said, sighing as he floated over to his brother.

"What, so your all prisoners here?" Alfred said shocked, his head still throbbing.

"No, it's not like that. It's more for protection really. It acts like an invisible wall. To humans out there, this looks like a normal patch of forest, and if they were to get curious and approach, the wall would simply muddle their brain enough so that they would become confused and have trouble navigating around. It would then transport them back near the forest entrance and they would think they just got lost or something. The only problem is that the barrier hurts us, but the principal controls it, so he can make it passable for us." Matthew explained, watching as Alfred stood up.

Alfred sighed, "So even if I want to leave I can't unless I see the principal…"

"Yep, so, stop being difficult and let's go! I've already missed my first and second class!" Matthew said, Alfred could practically hear the held back whine in his brothers voice.

"Haha! You haven't changed Mattie, you're still a punctual, good boy!" Alfred said laughing, standing up and brushing at the dust that had collected on his coat as he writhed on the ground in pain.

"Whatever Al." Matthew said, brushing his brother's comment off. "It wouldn't kill you to be punctual too." He said, floating towards the school, Alfred following behind.

"Haha! Maybe not, but look at you! You were trying to be home on time for dinner and you ended up as a ghost!" Alfred said, regretting it immediately.

"Low blow, Al. Still, you were late home and you got attacked by a vampire, so were even!" Matthew retorted, not bothered by the comment. He missed their silly arguments enough to let it slide.

"Pssh, Whatever. You just proved that I don't need to be punctual, since either way I- Ouch!" Alfred said, stepping back and holding his nose. They had reached the school entrance, but Matthew, being a ghost, had floated right through the doors. Alfred, who was blindly following his brother, slammed face-first into the hard glass.

Matthew's head poked out of the door, "Hah, well I may be a ghost, but at least I don't stupidly walk into a door." He said, before disappearing behind the doors.

"No, you just walk through them…" Alfred mumbled, rubbing his nose and opening the door. He stepped inside, following his brother to the principal's office; a nervous feeling surrounding him every step of the way.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Sorry, about the long wait! The first week back to school is always the busiest in my opinion. All the teachers pile it on… I wonder if they plan it all before-hand?<strong>

**This chapter was sort of… Long and slow. Still, I hope it explains a thing or two! The next chapter will explain a bit more, and then more characters will come in! Ehh, but I still think it's going slow… *sighs* But as long as one person is still reading this, I'll keep going!**

**I'll try to update faster, but definitely next week, I'll have another chapter up!**

**Reviews are great! Please make one? Let me know if there really is one person who reads this? (^-^ )**

**Flames will be used to burn my Term 1 work~ Well… At least the stuff I don't need for Mid-Terms…**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	7. Intro Arc: Chapter 7: Principals

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does!

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><p>After moving through the maze of hallways, as well as the occasional smacking into walls, of which Matthew apologized for; though Alfred could see the faint smile on his ghostly lips, they finally found themselves standing in front of a large, red wooden door with a little plaque on it saying "Principal's Office".<p>

Alfred felt nervous and was trembling, yet there were no monsters around. He always hated going to the principal's office, since it usually meant he was in trouble.

_Of course, this is different_, he told himself, _all I'm doing is going in there and asking for the principal to drop the barrier so I can leave._ "No big deal." He mumbled.

"Well, this is the Principal's office. Careful when you go in there, Al." Matthew said, looking a bit nervous himself.

"Don't worry Mattie, I'm the hero, so this won't be hard at all!" He said, sounding a lot braver than he felt.

Matthew sighed as Alfred reached for the door knob, turning it and pushing the red door open. The inside of the office looked pretty normal, a few potted plants and some chairs lined against the pale yellow wall. In the center of the room was an office desk where someone was typing. There were two doors, one on both sides of the desk. Strange though…

"Hey Mattie, why do both of those doors say Principal on them?" Alfred asked.

"That's because there are two principals here. They worked together to found the school. Before only one was going to start the school until the other came into the picture, much to the others displeasure. I've heard that it's because their powers work better together than , sometimes I wonder how they get along, you can hear them fighting sometimes, but they always seem to make up and everything is back to normal. I think they must be friends or something…" Matthew explained.

"Powers?" Alfred asked.

"You'll see, around this time, they're usually both present at the office. No doubt they're in one of those rooms." Matthew replied, floating up to the desk.

The person sitting at the desk and typing, Alfred saw, was female, but she had very long hair that shimmered as it blew around in some kind of an invisible wind. She looked almost like Matthew, translucent, yet more transparent than Matthew was, and her figure seemed to be flickering in and out.

She looked up at Matthew. "Can I help you boys?" she asked in a voice that sounded like winds blowing in a field; light and airy.

"We would like to see the principal's please." Matthew said softly, the woman could just barely hear him. Heh, Matthew was still as shy as Alfred remembered. "Are they here?"

The woman nodded, "They're both in the office to the right. I think its okay to let you inside, they shouldn't be doing anything at the moment." She said, gesturing to the door then resuming typing.

Matthew nodded, "Thanks!" he turned to Alfred, "Let's go Al." He said, as the two approached the door.

"Hey Mattie, is she a ghost to?" Alfred asked as they approached the door.

"No, she is a wind spirit I think. That's probably why her voice is all… wind-y, I guess." Matthew said, stopping in front of the door.

"Aren't you going to open that?" Alfred asked, gesturing to the door.

"While I could, I'd much rather have you do the job, since you plan to be leaving. If they're doing anything important, I'd rather not be the one to interrupt. One of them has a bit of a temper." Matthew said, moving aside to make room for Alfred.

"Ugh, chicken…" Alfred said, murmuring, reaching for the doorknob. His hand was shaking slightly and he hoped Matthew didn't notice. He pushed the door open only to be greeted by a warm hug.

"Aha~ Germania~ I knew you would forgive me eventually~" Said a deep voice. Alfred couldn't respond as he was being crushed by strong arms.

"Ah! Principal Roma! That's not Principal Germania!" Matthew said frantically trying to get the principal to let go.

"Eh? Germania, you feel smaller? How odd… Did a witch shrink you perhaps?" Roma asked, not even hearing Matthew. His arms were still wrapped around Alfred, who could have sworn he heard his neck crack.

"Principal Roma! It's not Germania!" Matthew said again, this time floating over and yelling louder.

Suddenly the door burst open and from the corner of his eye, he could see a tall man with long blond hair and a very annoyed expression enter the room. "Roma! Stop being so loud! I'm trying to do paperwork and here you are calling my name! Exactly what is it that you want?" The man yelled, he was clearly angry, if his tone of voice had anything to say.

Roma looked up, releasing Alfred who stumbled over to Matthew, rubbing his sides and neck.

"Oh! Germania! You were in your office?" He asked. Alfred looked over at the man who had almost death-hugged him. Roma was a tall man, not quite as tall as Germania. You could clearly see that he was athletic, the outline of his muscles showing under his white shirt. He had brown hair, with two odd curls sticking out from his head. He would have looked pretty intimidating, if not for his shining brown eyes, that seemed to show no hint of bad intent whatsoever.

Germania grunted "I was in my office, now I'm here to see what could be happening to cause you to make such noise."

"Oh well… Actually, I don't really know." He turned to Matthew and Alfred. "Why are you two boys here?" He asked.

Alfred opened his mouth to speak, but Matthew beat him too it. "He is here to enroll!" Matthew said quickly.

"What! No I'm not! I was going to ask them to lower the barrier so I could leave!" Alfred said huffing.

"Oh? Well, Germania controls the barrier. Still, if you want to enroll, you don't have to be shy~" Roma said, happily. "Odd though, in the past year we've had a lot of new students. You would be the tenth." He murmured.

Germania sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not just going to lower the barrier like that, that takes a lot of work you know."

"But-"

Germania looked at Roma, "Do you think?" he asked, a silent exchange seeming to pass between the two of them. Roma nodded, saying nothing.

"How about you stay here for a week, and if you really hate it, I'll see what I can do to lower it, fair enough?" Germania asked, looking at Alfred.

Alfred sighed, well, it was better than nothing right? "Okay, but only a week…" He said reluctantly.

"Great! Then I'll tell you a bit about the school, it will be like a normal orientation!" Roma said happily, motioning to a chair in front of his desk as he walked over, sitting. Germania followed, sitting in a nearby chair.

Alfred sighed, a lecture… Great, "Okay then." He said, cautiously sitting in the chair.

"It's not that long, don't worry." Germania said, as though reading Alfred's thoughts.

"Erh, should I go?" Matthew asked, not sure what to do.

"If you want Matthew, you may. I'm sure you have missed a few classes." Roma said, smiling.

Matthew nodded. "Al, I'm going to go… I'll see you later okay?" he said, floating towards the door.

Alfred nodded, though he would have preferred his brother stay, Matthew would never dream of skipping class, or at least, skipping more class, so he understood. "Okay Mattie, I'll see you later then." He said, watching his brother give a nod and pass through the door.

Alfred turned back to Roma, who was looking through a file cabinet, the sound of shuffling papers could be heard. "Hmm… I think the form is here… Or maybe over here?" Roma mumbled. Germania sighed.

"Your bottom drawer, in the back, Roma." Germania said.

"Oh right! Thanks Germania~" Roma said, pulling out a paper. "Here Alfred, this is just a registration form. I just need you to sign it, don't worry, it's just the normal paperwork we have to do." Roma said, handing a pen and the paper to Alfred.

Alfred signed it, not bothering to look at it, he would be gone within the week. "Okay."

Roma took the paper, putting it in a drawer. "So, as Matthew has told you, this is a Highschool known as Roma Antiqua High School. It is a school for all those supernatural monsters you see in movies. As well as other ones you rarely see at all. There are even some monsters with very odd powers here, although, they're pretty rare, so we don't have many. For the most part, the students here are your average monster, but try not to use that term around here. They're a bit sensitive, okay?" Roma said, Alfred could barely catch all of that, he was going so fast! "Hmm, your brother Matthew is one of the special ones, actually!" Roma said.

"Eh? Mattie? What's so different about him? Well, aside from the fact that he isn't very solid…" Alfred asked.

"Hmm, well, I think he would rather tell you himself…" Roma said, "But it is a very useful gift."

"Oh… Uh, okay then…" Alfred made a mental note to ask his brother later.

"Anyways, you can learn more about the school through actual experience, so I'll just assign you someone to take you on a tour." Roma continued. "Hmm… Germania, I think Arthur has a free period now right?" Roma asked, looking at his friend.

Germania nodded, "Yes, he does, should I call him here?"

Roma nodded, "Yes, ask him if he can show Alfred around."

Germania nodded, leaving the room.

"Well then. That's settled. I'm certain you and Arthur will get along." Roma said. "Come by after the final bell and I'll assign you to a room here, okay? Oh, and, I guess I had better make a schedule for you…"

Alfred nodded silently as someone knocked at the door. "Come in!" Roma said.

The door opened and in stepped Arthur. Like Arthur, Alfred recognized him immediately. "Hey! Your that angel from that room!" Alfred said. He knew the angel's name was Arthur, but hoped there was maybe, two Arthur's in the school. No doubt Arthur was angry at Alfred for bowling him over and assaulting him with a pillow.

""What the- Your that bloody git who knocked me over!" Arthur spluttered, pointing at Alfred.

"Oh? You two know each other? That will make it easier then!" Roma said happily, not noticing the tense atmosphere.

"Well, anyways Arthur. I need you to show Alfred around the school. He is a new student, and I think you're the best choice for introducing him to others. He seems like a nice boy, so I'm sure he can make friends quickly!" Roma said.

"What! I don't mean to be rude sir, but I cannot go around the school with this boy!" Arthur said.

"Hey!" Alfred said, taking slight offense to the comment, although he had to agree, walking around with this kid didn't seem like a fun walk in the park... "What's wrong with me? All I did was knock you over and hit you with a pillow! That's no reason to completely hate me!" Alfred said indignantly.

"Well, you never apologized, and I have a feeling that by hanging out with you, I'm going to end up bruised and broken!" Arthur said.

"What! That's why you don't want to be around me! That's a stupid reason! I'm not going to kill you!" Alfred said, waving his arm around, clearly annoyed that Arthur believed such a stupid thing. Unfortunately for Arthur, who was standing too close to Alfred, he got smacked in the face.

"Arrgh! You bloody git! I told you!" Arthur said, holding his forehead.

Roma laughed, he knew they would get along fine. Above them, a bell sounded. "Well then I'll leave it to you Arthur. How about introducing him to the new students? I'm sure they would be great friends for Alfred. You know a few of them right, being one of them yourself." Roma said.

Arthur grumbled, when you got a job from the principal, you couldn't really say no. "Yes sir. Come on Alfred…" he said as he walked out the door, passing by Germania as he entered the office.

Alfred began to follow Arthur, but stopped, he wondered…

"Um, Principal Roma and Principal Germania..." Alfred said, hesitating. Both Roma and Germania looked at him.

"Yes Alfred?" Roma asked.

"Um, well… I was wondering… You don't look that different, so well… I just…" Alfred stuttered, he felt like he was being too nosy. "Never mind, sorry!" Alfred said, hurrying out the door after Arthur.

Both Roma and Germania laughed, watching Alfred retreat out the door.

_Sometimes it's more than just appearance_. Germania's voice echoed in Alfred's head.

_That's right; there may be more to someone than what you can see, Alfred. You have to look harder and pay close attention, there's always more. You remember that, okay? _Roma's voice chimed in.

Alfred stopped, in the hallway, turning around to look at the office. As the door closed, he saw both Germania and Roma looking at him, their eyes were glowing a faint white.

"Hey! Hurry up you git or I'll leave you behind!" Arthur called, standing at the end of the hallway, waiting for Alfred. His large eyebrows furrowed as he tapped his foot impatiently.

Alfred turned around. "Sorry!" He called as he ran to catch up to Arthur who yelled at him not to run in the hallways. Roma and Germania's words echoed in his head…

Sighing, Alfred wondered… _Was there anything normal in this strange school?_

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Gah! It took me over a week to update this? Ahh, I'm so sorry! Mid-terms are this week, so I was busy studying… Ugh, school must be one of the major factors of slow story writing… <strong>

**Ah, as you can see, this chapter is a bit lame and kind of… Fast-paced? Well, I needed to get Alfred into the school somehow? I hope it flowed okay… (-.- )**

**More mystery! Ehh… Probably not, but there is, erh, foreshadowing maybe? Well, there's a fail attempt at some humor, to lighten the mood from all the seriousness. The next chapters will have some new characters. Really it's just a brief look until I can bring in the prophecy, but hopefully it will satisfy some? (^_^")**

**I'll try to update more often, but since Mid-Terms are this week, it might not be until the weekend! Sorry! (-_-"")**

**Reviews are appreciated! Anything counts, be it about grammar, or plot development, questions or just to say you like it! I really appreciate them; it makes me want to keep going! Flames will be used to burn the Mid-Terms, maybe then I won't have to study for them… (^o^)**


	8. Intro Arc: Chapter 8: First Impressions

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

[Apologies for the trouble! For some reason, FFN doesn't seem to be showing this uploaded chapter! Please don't be mad! I think it works now!]

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><p>Alfred and Arthur walked down the hallways in relative silence. The hallway seemed to change from a normal hall to one that was covered in plants and mushrooms; almost like a mystical forest. The smell of wet grass and flowers filled Alfred's nose and somehow, this place was well lit. He could even see sunlight streaming through cracks in the ceiling! They must pay a fortune for the fake sunlight. Or at least, Alfred was pretty certain that it was fake…<p>

"Well this is the magic wing of the school. It's the closest to the principal's office. In this wing, you'll find a lot of witches, warlocks and other magical beings like fairies and elves. You'll also find spirits here too." Arthur said; a wistful look on his face as he spoke.

"Heh, I guess you like the magical wing right?" Alfred asked, smirking. Sure, fairies and spirits~

Arthur flushed pink. "Oh shut it… So I visit it from time to time, they're very nice when you get to know them! The small fairies that fly around here are good company…"

Alfred smiled, "Sure, sure~ You have your flying friends~"

"Ugh, never mind." Arthur said his tone of voice was clearly one of annoyance. No one ever believed there were little fairies here, all though, Flying Mint Bunny wasn't really a fairy... Still, they were in a school filled with mystical creatures for goodness sakes, need he delve further into the details? Those dense gits…

"Anyways I'll see if one of the classes will mind having us sit for a minute. The classes in this area usually revolve around magic or power control. Of course, there are other classes like botany or ecology, but I doubt you would pay attention in them." Arthur said, turning to a door and knocking gently.

The door opened and a tall lady with shimmering wings appeared. "Oh, Arthur, can I help you? You should be in class…" She said.

"Sorry Ms. Kelly. I'm showing a new student around and I was wondering if we could sit in your class for a moment?" Arthur said politely.

"Well, everyone is having some quiet study time, you wouldn't learn much… Still. If you want to, then come inside." She said, stepping back from the door.

Arthur tugged Alfred inside. "Come on, this is a good chance for you to meet some people." He said, pulling Alfred into the classroom. He tugged Alfred to an empty seat, pointing at it with one finger.

"Just sit here for a bit, get to know some of the people here or something" Arthur said, walking over to the teacher. _He seems eager to chat with her…_ Alfred thought as he turned to the two boys sitting on his left.

One of them had long dark hair; his skin tinted green, and for a moment Alfred though that he might be a girl, as he was fairly small and lean. The boy was looking at his book with deep brown eyes, completely focused and not noticing Alfred. All of his clothes were different shades of green, from his t-shirt to his running shoes.

There was something refreshing and lively about sitting next to the boy, like Alfred was standing in a clear forest just after it rained. It seemed to energize him, and he took a deep breath before speaking.

"Erh… Hello." Alfred said nervously. He wasn't scared of the boy like he would be if say, the boy was a terrifying monster with sharp claws, but Alfred was still nervous about meeting any one of these strange monsters…

The boy looked up from his book, his head looking left, then right and noticing Alfred looking at him. "Oh, aru! Sorry, I never noticed you. You don't look like a spirit, are you sure you're in the right class?" the boy asked.

"Erh, I'm not a spirit. I'm a-" Even now it was still hard to say it, but the boy was waiting for an answer so… "I'm a vampire." Alfred said, he flinched slightly, he wondered if he would ever be used to that? "I'm new here, Arthur-" He gestured to the angel who was still conversing with the teacher. "Is just showing me around."

The boy looked at Arthur, nodding in understanding. "Oh! So you know Arthur then? Well, my name is Yao, I'm a nature spirit." He said calmly, as he nudged the boy next to him, "Hey, Kiku, say hi to this boy, aru. He is new and Arthur is taking him around the school."

The boy next to Yao leaned forward and looked at Alfred, recognition appearing on both boys faces as they got a good look at each other.

"Hey! You're the boy from that room! The one I saw with those other two!" Alfred said, surprised.

"And you're that boy who called us monsters and ran out the room scared." The boy replied, the static electricity in the air crackling and the atmosphere growing heavy. Alfred's neck tingled from the electricity as he gave the boy and embarrassed look.

"Oh, right, sorry about that… Erh, I was kind of disoriented at that moment… I'm really sorry." Alfred said, feeling pretty regretful of his actions, remembering that sad look Feliciano had given him.

The air cleared and the static electricity dispersed, as the boy nodded. "I suppose it's okay. You did seem new after all..."

Alfred smiled; glad he was forgiven by one of the three. He hoped he would see the others so he could apologize later. "Well, my name is Alfred, I'm a vampire." He said, holding out his hand.

Both Yao and Kiku stared at it. "Eh?" Kiku asked. It was as though he had never shaken a hand before!

Alfred slowly retracted his hand, feeling a bit stumped. It was like he was hitting multiple walls with these two! "Erh, right well, it's nice to meet you!" Alfred said, noticing Arthur waving at him to get his attention. Arthur was pointing to the clock on the wall, then the door.

Alfred stood up, waving goodbye to the two, who in return, smiled back before continuing to study. They sure seemed to take their studies seriously. Still, Alfred thought they were pretty cool. Maybe he could be friends with them? They were a lot less scary than some of the people he had seen.

After exiting the room, Arthur turned to Alfred. "So did you talk to them?" He asked, walking down the hallway and out of the Magical wing.

"Yeah, they were nice. One of them… Um… Yao! It seemed like he knew you." Alfred said, he was a bit curious about that.

"Yeah, we both enrolled here at the same time, along with Kiku." Arthur said absently, still walking down the hallways. "I met them during my time in the city, we sort of got along. He has an annoying nickname for me though. He calls me Opium sometimes, the bloody git, I don't know why though. I've never touched the white stuff." Arthur said, grumbling.

As they walked, Alfred noticed that the green forest-like hallways were changing slowly. The green colors were replaced with dark walls, and stone floors. There was red glowing in some of the areas on the wall, and the atmosphere grew somewhat heavy and dark. The only light came from torches on the walls, as well as small floating balls of fire. Alfred was tempted to touch the balls, but something about them seemed to tell Alfred to-

"Look, but don't touch." Arthur said, finishing Alfred's thoughts. "That's demon fire, it won't really hurt you, but it sort of, sucks energy from you, and it can burn you after a while."

"So, Arthur, where are we now?" Alfred asked as they continued walking down the dim hallways.

"This place is the demon wing. You can find demons here, though I think there are a few shadows here too. Once and a while you can see some spirits; but don't approach them unless you want to get possessed. There's also a few magic users here." Arthur said, shivering despite the warm atmosphere.

"Hmm? Are you cold Arthur? It seems pretty warm to me." Alfred asked, looking at the walls. He could actually see lava running from cracks in the walls, dripping down to some unknown place.

"That's not it. It's the demon energy in this area, all of the dark power. I don't fare well with it…" Arthur said, rubbing his arms.

"Oh right, that makes sense, you're an angel after all!" Alfred said realizing the situation. "Well, we don't need to hang around too long if you really want to go?"

Arthur shook his head, "No, I'm supposed to show you everywhere. Come on, I'll take you to one of the classes." He pulled Alfred to one of the classroom, knocking on the door. Out stepped a man, he had red skin and an air of darkness around him, but just smiled at the boys. "Hello boys can I help you? Oh, Arthur? I don't see you around here that often. What brings you here?"

Arthur looked up, he was still shaking, Alfred noticed. "Sorry Mr. Lewis, I'm showing a new student around. I was wondering if we could sit in your class for a minute. Principal Roma told me to show him around the school and help him make friends."

The teacher nodded, stepping back and letting the two in. "That's fine, were all just having a quiet-"

"Hey! Is that a new student Mr. Lewis! He looks like a normal guy though! Hey, come sit next to the awesome me!" A loud voice called.

Alfred looked in the direction of the voice and saw a boy waving at him, patting the empty seat next to him and waving at Alfred to come and sit.

Alfred looked at Arthur, who gave a small groan but pushed Alfred in the loud boy's general direction.

"Just go, Alfred. I'll… just… sit down over here, oaky?" Arthur said, sighing.

Alfred nodded and hurried over, sitting down in the empty seat. He looked at the eager boy, noting his appearance. He had white hair and red eyes, some small, black horns sticking out of his head. He wore black pants and a grey shirt, the words "I'm Awesome" on the front. He also had small black wings on his back, which to Alfred, looked a bit like bat wings.

The boy grinned as Alfred sat down and he took careful note of the loud boy's sharp teeth.

"Awesome, you really did sit next to me! I guess you can handle my awesomeness, so that's fine!" He said, laughing. "Anyways, I'm Gilbert, a demon! A Shadow demon if you want to be specific!" He said, holding out his hand.

Alfred accepted it, shaking Gilbert's hand. "My name is Alfred, I'm a vampire."

"Woah! That's neat! I haven't seen a vampire before! Of course, my brother and I have only been here for four months, so there's probably a few around and I'm just too awesome to notice! Oh hey, you should meet him too! His name's Ludwig and he is my younger brother." Gilbert said, turning around and nudging the boy sitting next to him.

"Hey, West, say hi! You're not actually that interested in that book, I know you! Now come on and greet this kid!" Gilbert said, still nudging the boy, whom Alfred could see was trying to inch away from Gilbert.

"Nein bruder! Stop doing that! I am trying to study!" The boy said in a gruff voice. Alfred could have sworn he heard it before…

"Awwh, come on West, you're making the kid feel uncomfortable by not saying hello!" Gilbert said.

The boy next to Gilbert sighed and Alfred heard a book shutting. "Fine, but then I'm going to finish reading so don't bother me again." He said, leaning forward and looking at Alfred.

"Hey! You're that kid who kept staring at me kind of creepily! The one I saw in that class room with that red-headed boy and Kiku!" Alfred said, pointing his finger at the kid.

"Oh, you already met him West? Haha, you sure get around, meeting new students before the awesome me!" Gilbert said, laughing at Alfred's sudden outburst.

Ludwig looked at Alfred, then at Alfred's finger. "Um, would you mind moving that?" Ludwig asked, not bothered by the situation. "Kiku? I suppose you met him in the magical wing." He said as a matter-of-factly.

Alfred was about to ask how Ludwig knew that, but Ludwig simply shrugged. "I overheard what Arthur said to Mr. Lewis. Plus, I figured if you were a new student, you would have come directly from the principal's office, which means that you would most likely go through the Magical wing before reaching here."

Alfred shut his mouth, that explanation was all he needed… This kid sure was…

"Shouldn't you be apologizing anyways?" Ludwig continued, "Especially to Feliciano. You know, he has been feeling low all day, thanks to your comment."

Alfred finally lowered his finger, he forgot about it while listening to this guy talk! "Oh right, sorry about that, I was sort of panicking then and erh, I didn't think much about what I said at the time." He said, once again feeling embarrassed.

Ludwig nodded curtly, "It's fine, it was an understandable reaction. Anyways, my name is Ludwig, though, I'm sure you know that by now, seeing as my bruder just told you. I am also a deamon, but I am a fire demon, or more specifically, a Will-O-Wisp." He said, reaching in front of Gilbert and shaking Alfred's hand.

"Eh? What's a Will-O-Wisp demon?" Alfred asked, curious. He had never heard of that before.

Gilbert groaned, giving Ludwig an apprehensive look. "Oh great, now West is gonna give you a lecture…." He said.

Ludwig gave Gilbert a annoyed look, "I am not, I'm just going to explain what a Will-O-Wisp demon is…"

Gilbert just rolled his eyes. "Sure you are West."

Ludwig sighed, turning to Alfred. "A Will-O-Wisp is a light that people see at night in places like bogs, swamps or marshes. Most people think of them as little ghost fires, but I reality there more like demon eggs. I was one of those and grew into Will-O-Wisp demon." He said, and then turned to Gilbert. "There, see bruder. I shortened it, so you can remove your hands from your ears now."

Gilbert huffed, quickly removing his hands. "That was definitely shorter. I didn't think you had it in ya, West!"

Alfred was still a bit confused, but that was a good enough explanation for now. Maybe they would tell him another time? "Okay, thanks." He said, turning when he saw the teacher motioning to him to come over. "Oh, I guess Arthur must want to go or something." He looked at the two brothers. "It was nice to meet you guys!"

"Likewise." Ludwig said, turning back to face the front and opening up his book again.

"Yeah! Hope to see you again Alfred! You're not bad, I think the awesome me can definitely keep you as a friend!" Gilbert said.

Alfred stood up waving and then hurried over to the teacher, who was standing in the doorway.

"Arthur has already left to the next wing Alfred. He can't stay here too long; it makes him weak." Mr. Lewis said, once Alfred reached him. "The next wing is just down the hall, it's a straight walk there so I don't think you'll have any trouble."

Alfred nodded, "Okay, thanks!" He turned to Gilbert and Ludwig, waving goodbye, they both waved back, Gilbert waving a little more enthusiastically than his brother, before he hurried out the door to find Arhur.

_Hmm, I'm meeting a lot of people and they seem nice enough. Maybe this place isn't so bad after all?_ Alfred thought as he hurried down the hall. Lost in his thoughts however, he wasn't looking where he was going and walked right into someone.

Alfred was a tough person, and quite strong, even without his new vampire strength. So it surprised him when he fell backwards, crashing to the ground, as the one he ran into was still standing, seemingly unfazed.

"You should watch where you're going~" A male voice said menacingly, a dark aura filling the area around them.

_Then again,_ Alfred thought, _Maybe not._

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Oh geez! I'm late in updates again! Sorry! If you're mad and now un-interested in the story, I don't blame you! *begs for forgiveness and dodges rocks thrown.* Those Mid-Terms really got in the way. For now though, they're all finished and I can focus more on my story, as well as other projects! (^_^)<strong>

**So, what do you think? Now that you've caught a glimpse of the others, are they okay? I kind of chose it by random, though I did use a lot of Hetalia Halloween pictures to judge what kind of monster they would be. I tried my best to base it a bit on personality too, but it didn't work too well… *sighs* still, I hope you're not too disappointed by them! (-_-")**

**Now then, I have made a few basic outlines of character stories, which are just small back stories of the characters! I've got basic ideas, so now I just need to build on them a bit more! As soon as more are introduced, I can begin finding ways of throwing in their stories. They'll probably be chapters, as a few people have suggested to me, *You know who you are~ Thank you~* but I'm hoping to make it flow a bit? Well, it won't really… Oh well, just look for them in a bit! I think a few more chapters and I can toss one in, once I get it typed up! (^_^")**

**Ugh, now I must go and ponder how to make the plot flow better and figure out a few more points… Still, expect another chapter by next week! I really need to try to stay in that deadline… (-.- )**

**Oh, sorry... I made another long AN... I'll finish up!**

**Reviews are great! I got a few nice ones that really encouraged me to keep going! Thank you to those that have reviewed, favorited and subscribed to story alerts! *hands you cookie* Please review! It's appreciated! Flames will be used to burn my accursed 64% Math Mid-Term, which I studied really hard for! (T_T)**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	9. Intro Arc: Chapter 9: Kolkolkol

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Alfred sat on the ground, rubbing his butt where he landed hard on the ground. He looked up at the person he ran into, planning to apologize.<p>

The boy was very tall, taller than Alfred even, and for some reason, despite how warm the hallway was, the boy was wearing a long tan coat and a beige scarf. There seemed to be nothing different about the boy that looked, well, demonic or monster-ish, aside from a faint dark purple aura that was surrounding the boy.

"You really should watch where you're going, da?" The boy said again, though his voice was somewhat light, Alfred couldn't help but sense a well hidden anger… He definitely had to be careful what he said, that's for sure.

"Yeah, sorry about that dude! I was sorta lost in thought." Alfred said, standing up and dusting himself off. The boy really was tall, at least 5 centimeters taller than Alfred, who was definitely no shrimp.

"_Kolkolkol~_" The boy's voice got lower and darker... malice dripping from it with every _Kol _that was uttered... It really scared Alfred, but he stood his ground, looking at the boy in the eyes.

The boy's dark aura lowered and his _kol-ing_ ceased, as he looked closer at Alfred, confusion on his face. "Oh? I don't think I've seen you here before? You don't look like a demon either… Maybe you're human? So then we could become one before I kill you and resurrect you perhaps?" He asked in a childish tone.

"Hmm, oh, I'm a vampire. I just enrolled here not to lo- WAIT WHAT?" Alfred yelled, suddenly realizing what the boy said and taking a step backwards. "Become one?" What the hell man? Why would I become one with you? What does that even mean?" He asked, freaking out.

"Oh? Do you want to find out?" The boy asked, still smiling, taking a step closer.

"I… What? No! Hey wait, did you just say kill me? Why the hell would you kill me?" Alfred asked, pausing.

The boy gave a wistful smile. "Da, I did. It's been a long while since it happened… Anyhow, no one will let me… A lot of people are afraid of me too, I wonder why?" He asked innocently. Alfred wondered if that was fake or if he really was that… innocently dumb? He had only just met the boy and already he felt terrified.

_I guess he doesn't have to be a monster to be terrifying_… Alfred thought, and briefly, the principal's words flashed in his mind… Though, he didn't linger on it as they boy spoke again.

"Hmm, well, since you're a new student, I suppose I have to introduce myself before I can do anything, da?" The boy said. "My name is Ivan, I'm a necromancer." He said, holding out his hand, which Alfred noticed, had a black glove over it.

_Huh, the guy must be really cold…_ Alfred thought absently. _I wonder what the mark is for though…_

"Erh… My name is Alfred… It's um, very nice to meet you Ivan…" Alfred said, deciding not to ask… He just wanted to say hi and leave… The creepy aura sent shivers down his spine.

Alfred hesitantly held out his hand, shaking Ivan's… It was probably one of the most awkward handshakes in his life...

"Hmm, so what is a necromancer anyways?" Alfred asked, after Ivan had let go of his hand. He might as well try to be friendly… Or maybe he could dash for it while Ivan was explaining?

"Well, Necromancy is a form of dark magic, so a necromancer is a person who can use necromancy. I can use it for divination, but I mostly use it in its darker form. Which is being able to talk to and raise the dead~ That's why I have to kill you! If I do and resurrect you, you can become my loyal follower~" He said happily.

"Erh… Thanks but I'd pref-"

"BROTHERRRRR~ WHERE ARE YOUUUU! COME OUUUTT!"

Alfred yelped, jumping a foot in the air. What was that? It was the creepiest voice he had ever heard, and he could have sworn it came from somewhere nearby. He looked around the hallway, which was empty and turned back to Ivan, he was surprised to see the tall boy trembling in fright.

"Eh? Ivan, what's wrong? Do you know what that creepy voice was?" Alfred asked.

Ivan continued to tremble, his eyes darting around before he gave a sudden fearful cry and ran to the nearest door, flinging it open and running inside, slamming it closed.

Alfred thought he heard Ivan shifting things around inside there. Was he barricading the door! He wondered what on earth could have scared the boy, until he noticed something about the room Ivan went into.

"Hey! Ivan, you know that's a broom closet right?" Alfred called from the other side of the door.

"Shh! Don't let her find me! Please Alfred!" Ivan called from behind the door, the fear plain in his trembling voice. The dark aura was gone and there was some serious tension in the air.

Alfred's eyebrow raised, _What's up with him? Don't let who find him?_

Suddenly he felt a small hand on his shoulder and he jumped in surprise. "Eyyagh!"

Alfred spun around, his eyes resting on a tall girl with long, almost-white hair, a bow resting on top of her head. Her dark dress was ripped in places and there was a very faint smell of decay. She had pale skin and she had a slightly crazed look in her eyes. In her hand was a sharp dagger that flashed in the faint light of the hallway. All in all, she terrified Alfred almost as much as Ivan, in fact, maybe even a bit more than Ivan did…

"You." She said, in a raspy voice that sent shivers down Alfred's spine. "Have you seen my брат? Don't lie, or I'll have to cut one of your fingers off." She said, staring at Alfred, her dagger pointing at his hand, no doubt ready to carry out what she had just promised.

Alfred trembled, leaning against the door. He didn't know what брат meant, but he had a feeling that this girl was looking for Ivan.

Should he tell her? After all, Ivan was a new friend; at least, he thought that Ivan was a friend considering that they had formally met each other. On the other hand, Ivan was pretty terrified and this girl just threatened one of his fingers!

Alfred took a deep breath, yet his voice still trembled. "S-Sorry… I-I'm new here, s-so I d-don't think I have –met your brother yet." He hoped she couldn't tell that he was lying.

The girl glared, and then studied Alfred carefully, her dagger never moving once. "Hmm… You don't look familiar, and we have been here for nine months. I would have noticed you by now." She muttered, lowering the dagger. "Okay, I'll just have to look elsewhere. If you see him, let me know. My name is Natalia, got that." She said, no emotion in her voice. The crazy look was gone, but Alfred was still cautious.

He gave a hasty nod, watching the girl turn on the heel of her long boots and walk away, calling in a creepy voice for her brother.

It wasn't until her voice faded in the distance, that Ivan peeked out from the closet. "Is she gone?" he whispered, his eyes darting around the hallway before resting on Alfred, who nodded.

"Yeah, she's gone." Alfred replied. Ivan looked kind of funny, his head poking out of the closet in fear, when just a moment ago he was scaring Alfred half to death.

"Hmm.. Okay… спасибо Alfred." Ivan said, shutting the door. Alfred could hear the sounds of shuffling from inside. Ivan must have barricaded himself…

"Spasi- what?" Alfred said, confused.

"It mean Thank you…" Ivans called, the shuffling hadn't ceased yet and Alfred wondered just what Ivan barricaded himself with…

"Right.. well, I am a Hero, so it's only natural that I protect people in need!" He replied, feeling kind of proud. He felt like he had just beaten a vicious lion of something… Although… He did wonder…

"Who was she?" Alfred asked. Ivan seemed to know her, right?

Pushing the door open, Ivan walked out of the closet and adjusting his scarf and composing himself before speaking in a more serious tone, his fear seeming to have disappeared with the girls exit.

"That was my younger сестра Natalia. She, erh, really likes me." Ivan replied.

Alfred looked at Ivan confused. "Si- wha?"

Ivan frowned, "сестра. It means sister in Russian…"

"No offence man, but if that's your sister, then your family is really creepy. Are there any other creepy siblings of yours I should know about?" Alfred asked.

Ivan shook his head, "None taken, I agree, she is an odd one, but she is family so…" Ivan shrugged, Alfred nodded in understanding.

"I have another sibling; an older сестра. Her name is Yekaterina, though she prefers Katyusha. She is not very scary. Actually, she is a bit of a cry baby, but she is very kind. You'll probably see her sometime, it's easy to tell when she approaches." Ivan said absently, he was calm now, but Alfred could see his eyes darting back and forth… Natalia must really scare him…

Alfred nodded. "Huh, well, your older sister sounds nice."

Ivan nodded in response, "She is very nice, she gave me this scarf. Back when she was-" He sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind. I should go before Natalia comes back. It was nice to meet you comrade Alfred. You seem okay, so I won't force you to become one with me or kill you. But the offer is always there~" Ivan said, his childish smile was back; his tone once again bright and cheerful. He waved goodbye to Alfred before turning around and walking away, going the opposite direction Natalia went.

Alfred waved back, and then when Ivan was out of view, shuddered at the thought of "becoming one" with Ivan.

_He seems okay… but if I see him again… It would definitely be too soon… _Alfred thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Yay! I think I made it on time for once! I'm working hard on the character stories, and the main one too! Still, life sure takes over… *sighs* Well, no point in complaining, it won't solve a thing. So for now, I hope this chapter was okay for you readers!<strong>

**Eh, it's so short and not much happened... I hope the next one will be longer... (-_-")**

**One more chapter I think, until I can post a character story… Hm, but the ones I've got typed won't work to well… I'll have to try someone elses and focus hard on it this week...**

**Ah, but, I'm sorry if it seems that plot is slow to develop… It's coming eventually! (^_^") **

***head-desks* Soon… It's typed, but these chapters are long… Sort of… *fail***

**Thanks to all who have reviewed, favorite and alerted! Thanks also to the anonymous reviewer who told me of the chapter problems! I hope it won't happen again… **

**Anyways, expect another chapter by next week. I'll do my best to keep updating!**

**Reviews are welcome! I'd love to hear from you! Flames will be used to burn my life's troubles. Because when life gives you lemons, you burn the lemons and smell the nice fumes! Okay no… But the flames can be used for something! Maybe to cook some pasta~**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	10. Intro Arc: Chapter 10: Deviations

I don't own Hetaila. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Oi! You git, where did you go! The walk from the classroom shouldn't have been that long. Did you get lost?" Arthur called to Alfred. He had been waiting for a while now…<p>

Alfred, upon seeing the boy, ran the rest of the way stopping once he reached Arthur. Instead of explaining that he got held up by a creepy boy and his younger sister, he decided to point out a fact that he had only just noticed.

"Woah Arthur! Your small!" It was true, Arthur was about four centimeters smaller than Alfred. Which was odd, he never noticed it before. He was totally distracted, patting the angel's head as he smiled. It wasn't too surprising; after all, pretty much everyone was smaller than him. Still, it was odd he didn't notice before. Must have been Arthur's large wings…

Arthur's face reddened as he took note of this difference, his head tilting up. "Sh-shut up! I don't care! Most people are taller than me. But I can at least do this, so there." He said, flapping his wings and raising a foot off the ground.

"Hey! That's no fair! You cheater, that does not count!" Alfred said, huffing in mock anger. Though he did think it was cheating, it was still pretty cool to see Arthur use his wings…

Arthur smirked, lowering himself to the ground. "Whatever, that's not important now, so just, have fun hitting your head on the lights or something." He said, turning around and walking down the hallway to the next wing.

"What took you so long anyways?" Arthur asked as they entered a new wing. This place looked pretty normal, with normal brown walls and a plain dark wood floor. The walls were lined with lockers; a few posters placed in various spots.

"Erh, I was stopped by some guy called Ivan. He said he was a necromancer. Do you know him?" Alfred asked, looking at one of the posters. It looked like an ad for some club…

Arthur froze, not responding. Then he immediately spun around, staring at Alfred and poking him in on his cheek. "You met Ivan? Why are you not dead?" He asked, poking Alfred's forehead now.

"Hey! Stop poking me! I'm not dead because he didn't kill me! Why? Sure he asked if he could, but he seemed okay…" Alfred said, waving his hand to try to stop Arthur's finger from poking his neck.

"Ivan is bad news, a lot of rumors go around the school about him. Some say he killed his own family and will kill the next person who becomes his friend! Other like to say he is just crazy and he will kill anybody he sees. Some even claim he can kill you just by looking at you and he can curse you when he mumbles something that sounds a lot like Kolkolkol." Arthur said, still looking at Alfred and wondering if maybe Ivan just put a long term curse on the boy. "Nobody tries to get close to him, so technically the rumors just stay rumors."

Alfred laughed, "Hahah! That's dumb! Ivan seemed like a normal kid to me! Well… aside from the whole become one thing. Though, no offence to his family, but his little sister is really creepy." Alfred said, shivering as he remembered when she put her hand on his shoulder.

Arthur's eyes widened. "You met his sister! Again, I ask, how are you alive?" He said. "His sister is even worse than him, not by much of course but… Wow… Alfred you must have some serious dumb luck."

Alfred frowned at Arthur, "Did you just insult my intelligence?" He asked. "I could totally survive worse without luck!"

Arthur just smiled and continued walking into the new wing, Alfred frowning as he followed.

"This wing is the Physical Wing, but most people know it as the Miscellaneous Wing. It's where people who don't fit in the other two wings go. Most students are in this wing and you will probably be in this wing. Your brother takes a lot of classes here, and no doubt you will too." Arthur said, turning around and looking at Alfred.

Alfred looked around, it seemed normal enough to him. "Hmm… Okay." He said absently,

"I'll take you to your classroom; you have to stay there until the end of the day." Arthur said, turning down a hallway. "I'll be going to my class. You can probably ask one of your classmates to show you around more."

"Hey wait, aren't you supposed to show me around the school the whole day?" Alfred asked, and then realized something. "Wait, how do you know what class I'm in? I don't remember the principals ever saying anything about that?"

Arthur sighed, shaking his head. "You've met the principals, can't you tell by now?"

Alfred was still confused, following Arthur. "Tell what?"

Arthur groaned. "You really are an airhead. I thought they had communicated with you using their psychic abilities by now?"

"…..What? They have psychic powers?" Alfred asked questioningly.

Arthur nodded. "Yes. Both principals have psychic powers, though Principal Roma also has precognition powers while Principal Germania has telepathy powers." He said casually.

"Eh?"

"Git, do I have to dumb it down for you?" Arthur grumbled, taking a deep breath. "Principal Roma can see the future and Principal Germania can read minds. Can you understand that?"

"Oh, so that really was their voice I heard in my head when I left their office!" Alfred said, realization appeared on his face. "So then, they told you through your mind? That's cool! Still though, if it weren't for that fact, they would be the most normal people in this school…" He murmured. He was hoping there would be some normal people he could talk to amongst this school. He just didn't feel that comfortable with all of these monsters everywhere.

Arthur looked at Alfred, he had heard that. He turned his head, looking Alfred in the eyes, his gaze intense "No one in this school is normal Alfred; we all have something that makes us different or inhuman... If we didn't then we wouldn't be here. " He said. "In fact, this school wouldn't even exist. This place for most people here, it's the only place they have to go. Just like you, other humans would be scared of us, panicking then either fighting us or fleeing in fear." He said quietly, stopping in front of a classroom door. He turned to Alfred, who could see a kind of sadness and longing in Arthur's eyes, yet it was buried deeply, almost unnoticeable.

"I know your used to normal but here, nothing is, and you need to accept that fact soon Alfred." He said, breaking eye contact and looking down.

"Shiesh Arthur, I have…" Alfred replied. He hadn't really, but he didn't want Arthur to be upset on his account. Hero's make smiles, not frowns!

Arthur just looked at him, "Sure Alfred. Anyways, this is your classroom. After school meet me in front of the principal's office. I'll tell Matthew to meet us there, okay." He said, knocking at the door.

Alfred sighed, _What a change in attitude! All because I said that I thought the principals were normal…_

He shrugged, watching the door open, a tall woman with blue scales covering her body, and deep green eyes stepped out. She looked a bit like a fish…

"Oh, Arthur. What brings you here? Your class isn't for another few hours." She said, smiling.

"Sorry Ms. Finnian. This is Alfred, a new student here. Principal Roma told me that he would be in your class until he gets his schedule later." Arthur said, motioning to Alfred.

"Oh I see, you're the student Roma informed me about just a moment ago, come inside and I'll find you a seat." She said kindly.

Alfred nodded stepping inside the classroom, turning to say goodbye to Arthur, but he was already gone.

Ms. Finnian, noticing Alfred's dismayed look, shook her head. "Don't mind Arthur, he is a pretty independent boy. He never seems to get close to people, or get to friendly. It would be nice to see him with more friends though." She said, taking a look around the room.

"Well, were not doing too much in the class right now; everyone is in study groups. Let's see… Oh, there's an empty seat." Ms. Finnian pointed to an empty seat in the corner of the room, two boys sitting at the table in front of it.

Alfred thanked the teacher, walking over to the table and pulling the chair out, sitting down with a happy sigh. He was glad he could get off his feet. Walking through the school was a workout, and he guessed there must still be places he hadn't been to yet. Maybe if he made friends with these boys, he could ask them to show him around more?

"Chigi! What's this kid doing here?" One of the boys said in an loud and angry tone.

Alfred looked up at the two boys, surprised when the first thing he noticed was how much this boy looked like that red headed boy, Feliciano.

"You. You're annoying me already. Why are you sitting here?" The boy asked rudely.

"Eh? You're Feliciano right?" Alfred asked, was this really the boy he met earlier today? He certainly wasn't as friendly as he had been when he first met him.

One of the boy's eyebrows raised in suspicion. "You mean my brother?" He asked. "Hey wait! How do you know him! I've never seen you before and we've been here a whole year! Are you some kind of a stalker?" He said, pointing an accusing finger at Alfred.

Alfred frowned, feeling slightly relieved. If this boy was Feliciano, he would have a tough time apologizing for his behavior, considering how rude this boy was.

If he looked closer, this boy's hair was slightly darker more brown than red, a hair curl sticking out from the front of his head instead of the back like his brother. His eyes were green instead of brown, and the wings on his back, which Alfred felt stupid for not noticing earlier, were black instead of white.

"Oh, sorry. You look a lot like him." Alfred replied, pushing the boys finger away from his face, "Hey wait! Did you just call me a stalker? I am not a stalker! I'll have you know that I just met him today!" He said angrily. Shiesh this boy was sure different from his brother. Aside from appearance, he found the boy to be a bit of a jerk… Oh well, his mother did say to just, grin and bear it…

Suddenly the boy next to him moved, yawning, Alfred now realizing that he was Feliciano.

"Ve~ That was a nice nap!" He said, rubbing his eyes and looking around wearily, not fully awake yet. Alfred then realized that Feliciano had been sleeping this whole time!

Feliciano noticed Alfred, smiling immediately. "Oh, you're that boy from earlier today! Did you manage to get out, or did the barrier stop you? I hope you didn't try to go too far, the barrier is thick and it hurts more, the further you go." He said cheerfully. "I know because I tried once~ My brothers tomato rolled away, so I went to get it~"

"Chigi! Feli shut up! I dropped it and there were more tomatos…besides, if this kid had gotten out, he wouldn't be here, would he. Now who is he? Is he your stalker?" The boy asked.

"Ve~ That does make sense fratello." Feliciano said, then stopped and tilted his head in confusion. "Hmm… Actually, I don't know who he is…" He looked at Alfred. "Who are you?"

Alfred looked at Feliciano, comparing the two brothers. Such a large difference in personality, one was completely carefree and from what he could see, was pretty oblivious. The other was the complete opposite, fairly angry and short tempered, not to mention rude.

_Just grin and bear it,_ he thought…

"Um, my name is Alfred. I'm a vampire." He said, holding out a hand as a formal greeting. Feliciano instead leaned over and hugged Alfred.

"Ve~ It's nice to meet you Alfred!" He said happily, releasing him and sitting back down. "I'm Feliciano and this is my twin brother, Lovino! I hope we're going to be friends!" He said, Lovino huffing in annoyance, but reluctantly holding out his hand when Feliciano asked him to.

Alfred shook Lovino's hand, feeling the boy tense as his hand made contact.

_I guess he doesn't like physical contact_? Alfred wondered. He quickly let go, not wanting to make Lovino feel uncomfortable..

"Erh, Feliciano, I wanted to apologize for earlier, I'm sorry if my words hurt you… I wasn't thinking…" He said, watching as Feliciano's smile fell.

"Ve, it's okay. It wasn't a big deal." He said sighing, he looked more solemn, both him and his brother, who Alfred suspected knew. Feliciano seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't keep something like that to himself, especially not from his brother.

"Ve, in a way it's not too far from the truth though." Feliciano said, quietly. "It's not like were normal… My fratello and I are known as deviations." He flinched at the word, it wasn't his favorite…

Alfred didn't know what those were, though he didn't want to ask. It seemed like a touchy subject for both boys.

Lovino sighed, noticing Alfred's confusion. He might as well tell him, Feliciano seemed like he would be friends with the boy, so he would find out anyways. "A deviation is something that started as a human but were taken from a young age and…experimented on. I doubt there are anymore, but its what a lot of people like to call us." Lovino shuddered as some memories resurfaced before he could keep them down.

Alfred watched the two boys, "I see… I'm sorry, that sounds terrible…" he said sadly.

Feliciano took a deep breath, the smile on his face reappearing. "Ve, it's okay Alfred. It was a long time ago and we barely remember it." He said, once again his cheerful self.

A bell rang, signaling the end of class and Alfred watched as Feliciano jumped up excitedly, Lovino sighing at his brother's enthusiasm.

"Ve! It's lunch time!" Feliciano said happily. "Today they're going to serve spaghetti and tomato sauce, fratello! Let's hurry and get some!"

Lovino nodded, not showing quite as much enthusiasm as his brother, but Alfred could see a light of excitement shining in Lovino's green eyes.

Feliciano turned to Alfred. "Do you want to come to? Or are you going somewhere else?" he asked.

"Well, I don't really know my way around here, so I guess if I come with you I can see more of the school." He replied.

Feliciano nodded, "Sure! Just follow us; we know the way to the lunchroom by heart!" He said, Lovino nodding as he hurried to the door. Alfred stood up, following both boys, having to walk fast to catch up.

As he followed behind them, dodging the other students who had exited their classes, he noticed his vision was getting blurry sometimes, and he was feeling a bit lightheaded. He didn't know why, but hoped that once he had something to eat, he would feel better.

Still, with every step he took, he just felt weaker and weaker. Before he knew it, he found himself collapsing on the ground; Feliciano calling his name in the background as the world around him turned black.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Phew, another chapter done~ With this chapter, I can finally work on plot~ Yay~ Ahaha… Only about… 10 chapters of introduction… which was probably around 10,000 words or more… haha… *facepalms*<strong>

**I'm sorry for being slow and plot-less… But I'm working on how to get that prophecy into it all… *sighs* This chapter may have been short… especially last chapter, but I'll try my best to be more consistent.**

**Feliciano and Lovino were hard to place as monsters... For a moment, I though about a pasta monster, until I realized how dumb that would be... Hopefully this is acceptable! Not everyone, such as Alfred, have always been monsters! It helps so I can make an interesting background story for each of them. **

**I will not give up! I must keep going! Knowing that someone is enjoying this story is good enough for me to continue! *five seconds of determination***

**Now, the next chapter might be late, but I'll keep working hard on it! Sometime next week is my goal! I have a backup plan if I don't finish the chapter! (^_^)**

**Anyways~ Thank you for being so patient, readers~ Thanks for the favorites, story alerts and especially for the reviews! **

**Reviews are appreciated~ Tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is important~**

**Flames of course, will be used for something that benefits me~ Like maybe to cook my cold soup! I really should warm this soup… (._. )**

**Happy Valentines Day~ *this probably isn't an appropriate story for Valentines day... OTL***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	11. Intro Arc:Chapter 11: The First Aid Room

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Hey"<p>

_A voice? Who's?_

"Hey, mister?"

_It's a light voice… Why is it familiar?_

"Hey, come on… Wake up…"

_It kind of sounds like…_

"HEY! GET UP!"

Alfred opened his eyes, only to find himself staring into some wide, sky-blue eyes.

"Arrghh!" Alfred cried, shutting his eyes and thrusting his arms out in front of his body as he acted on reflex. The poor person on sitting on top of him went flying. He heard a light thump and opened his eyes, immediately sitting up and breathing shallowly. That was weird, he could have sworn that he just saw-

"Oof! Owww! Hey, that was mean…" The light voice complained as Alfred looked around himself, trying to find out where he was. There was… Nothing?

_Whaaaa? Am I back in that place?_ He wondered, already feeling ready to panic. Last time he was here, he had apparently been unconscious for days, during which he changed into a vampire. He definitely did not want to experience that again.

Like before, the space was empty, void of any objects or living things. Only this time, it was brighter. Sure, he still couldn't see any objects or plants, but the area was more of a light grey than a pitch black. The brightness of the space seemed to calm him down, and he no longer felt as tense as he did a moment ago.

"Weird… Where am I?" He muttered, surprised that sound actually came from his mouth… That definitely didn't happen last time.

"Urgh, my back hurts now you meanie." The light voice whined.

Alfred turned his head towards the voice, finally taking a look at the person he had pushed off himself.

To Alfred's shock, standing a few feet away was a small boy, whom looked around the age of four.

What was strange to Alfred was that this boy looked exactly like him! That is to say, the boy looked like a four-year-old version of him… He was wearing the same white dress that his mother once forced him into when he was young, and his light-blonde hair was identical to that haircut his father gave him those many years ago… It was almost like a step down memory lane.

Alfred just stood there, staring at the boy. He knew that may not be the best thing to do; but when you find yourself face to face with a younger you, what else would you do? The little Alfred was frowning at him, a couple of unshed tears of pain at the corner of his eyes as he rubbed his back.

At the sight of the boy's tears, Alfred stopped staring and knelt down to the boy's eye level, feeling guilty for making the kid cry. "Ah sorry… I was just taken by surprise… You know; you shouldn't climb on top of someone and yell in their ear to wake them up. That just begs for trouble." He said, gently smiling at the boy.

The little Alfred rubbed his eyes, nodding apologetically and walked over to him. "Ehe… I guess. Um, but you wouldn't wake up… I had ta wake you up, before you left, 'cause I had ta tell you things."

Alfred cocked his head to the side… "Eh? Tell me what? Why?"

The little Alfred shrugged. "'Cause they're important. Why else?

Alfred looked at the boy confused… "Erh, okay. Then what is it you have to say, little me."

The boy frowned. "Hey, I'm not little! I'm a big boy! Plus I have a name too! My name is Alfred!" he said, his eyes shining as he said his name. Heh, this boy had the same amount of pride he had when he was young too…

Alfred smirked, shaking his head. "But I'm Alfred, I can't just call you Alfred as well. It would be too confusing."

The boy thought for a moment, tilting his head to the side just like Alfred did a moment ago. _Heh, it's kind of cute when he does it. Wonder if I look cute doing it too?_ He thought, watching the boy think.

"Okay, what about I call you Alfred and you call me Al!" The boy said, nodding his head. It seemed like a good idea to him.

Alfred laughed. That really wasn't much of a solution, but it would have to do. It was just… The look on Al's face when he said that! It was a wide goofy smile of glee. Clearly the boy thought it was a smart idea.

"Hey! Don't laugh!" Al said, pouting at the teen lying on the ground, laughing his head off. "You're me! Anything funny about me is probably double-y funny about you!" He said, glaring at the teen and stumbling on the word, probably.

Alfred stopped laughing; the kid had a point… He sat up, looking at the boy and clearing his throat… "Ah, right… Sorry…"

Al huffed and sat too, their difference in height causing the boy to have to tilt his head as he looked up at his teenage counterpart.

"Ah! Hey! You're fading already! Darn it, you're laughing made us lose time!" Al cried out, causing Alfred to look down at himself. He was indeed fading, his hands changing from opaque to translucent, then quickly to transparent.

"Aaah! What the hell! What's happening to me!" Alfred cried out, panicking.

"Calm down! Nothing bad is happening! You're just waking up!" Al cried, jumping up and running to Alfred, who had begun running around in circles, staring at his hands in terror…

"Agggh! I'm turning into a ghost like Mattie!" Alfred cried, not hearing Al.

Al jumped on Alfred, effectively pinning Alfred down and sitting on top of him. "Calm down you dummy! You're just waking up!"

Alfred stopped and closed his mouth… As Al's words sunk in, he felt a bit stupid now. Of course, that was probably because he just got pinned down by a little boy who was a almost a quarter of his height and age.

"There's no time for this now! Listen to me!" Al cried, watching as Alfred's legs began to disappear too. "If you hear a mean, dark voice! Don't listen to it, okay! You can't let it take over, or bad things can happen!" Al cried, watching as Alfred's torso began disappearing as well.

"Huh? Dark voice? I haven't heard one though… What do you mean!" Alfred called, noticing his voice was lighter and sounded more distant. His view of Al was also becoming fuzzy… He couldn't hear anything, nor say anything now. All he could do was watch as Al and the room disappeared…

Al watched as Alfred disappeared, sighing. "The prophecy has begun and the change has caused extra trouble… Be careful, Alfred…" He said softly as he turned and looked up into the vast, light-grey space, watching as the light-grey ever so slightly began to darken… He only hoped Alfred wouldn't be back here.

"It's not gonna be safe for much longer…" He whispered.

Feliciano turned around; making sure Alfred was following closely. He gasped and ran when he saw Alfred falter, hurrying to catch his new friend. Making it just in time, he held Alfred and called for Lovino.

Lovino reluctantly turned around, wondering what his idiot little brother could want. He probably just tripped again, Although they were twins he was actually the older of the two, yet somehow people always saw him as the younger, less capable one… It really bothered him, and for a moment he was tempted to just ignore Feliciano. Of course, he knew he wouldn't. Despite everything, they were close and one just couldn't ignore the other. Not when they had both experienced so much together…

"Chigi! What is it Feliciano! We're missing lunch! You know, the longer we wait the longer the line will be and the less pasta we'll have!" He called, spinning around. He closed his mouth as he was about to say another rude thing, after all he hated missing lunch, but when he saw his brother sitting on the floor holding and unconscious Alfred, all the insults flew right out the door.

Running over to them, he knelt down. "What happened?"

"Ve! I don't know, he was following but then he collapsed!" Feliciano said, worriedly. His eyes were watering and Lovino hastily tried to calm Feliciano. He couldn't stand to see his brother cry…

"Chigi! Calm down, its going to be okay. Let's hurry and take him to the first aid room. They'll figure stuff out or something." He said, looking around for help. The hallway was empty; everyone had already gone to the lunch.

Feliciano nodded, "Ve... Okay."

Lovino sighed, now he had to actually help this bastard. Fantastic. He bent down, lifting Alfred with a strength that would probably surprise most people. He was missing lunch for this… Alfred definitely owed him.

"Come on." He grunted, struggling under Alfred's weight, but not letting Feliciano help him. He was a stubborn boy.

After a long and slow walk to the first aid room, Lovino grumbling the whole way there about the unhelpful students who passed them by, they reached the door, Feliciano knocking frantically.

The door opened and the schools doctor stepped out. "Hmm? Lovino and Feliciano? What brings you here? Did you burn yourselves on the cooking pots again?" Dr. Edelstein asked.

Feliciano looked up at the doctor, his violet eyes looked somewhat amused until he noticed Lovino was carrying someone. "Oh? What happened?" He asked, the amusement in his eyes vanishing and replaced with a business like look, which by now both boys knew he was serious.

"Ve! This is Alfred, he collapsed in the hallway and we don't know why!" Feliciano said frantically, Lovino saying nothing, but grunting under Alfred's weight.

"Come on inside." Dr. Edelstein said, spinning on his heel, his white coat swishing as he hurried into the office. "Elizaveta! Can you please get the bed ready!" He called.

Lovino walked inside, placing Alfred down on the bed that had motioned to.

"Now, can you two tell me about this boy? I can't help him if I don't know anything about him."

"Ve.. well, Alfred is a new student here and he said he was a vampire, but that's all I know…" Feliciano said, looking at Lovino, who had moved to the far edge of the room, leaning against the wall.

"What?" Lovino asked, noticing Feliciano looking at him. "Oh! I don't know anything more about the guy, I just met him."

Lovino watched as Dr. Edelstein nodded, examining Alfred as Nurse Hedervary came in the room, holding a tray with red packets on it.

"Would this work Roderich?" Nurse Hedevary asked. Lovino watched as her red nurses uniform swished in her rushed pace, her brown hair flying everywhere as she ran around the room and her green eyes focused on her work. Lovino still wondered why she wore that weird uniform. The hem was sort of… short...

Dr. Edelstein said, taking one of the red packets and hanging it on a metal pole and taking a small tube and placing it in Alfred's arm, the red liquid beginning to flow as gravity pulled it down.

"Huh? What's that?" Feliciano asked curiously.

Dr. Edelstein took off his plastic gloves, "Blood, this boy is in dire need of some. I'm surprised he has lasted this long without it. It's especially important when they just change."

"Ve? Just change?" Feliciano asked, Lovino leaning in and listening. "How can you tell?"

Dr. Edelstein laughed, "You forget, Feliciano, I'm not a normal doctor." He said, his eyes briefly flashing a light green as he took another look at Alfred. "That's why I'm the school doctor."

"Oh right~" Feliciano said happily. "So is Alfred going to be okay then?"

Dr. Edelstein nodded, "He will be fine. Don't worry you two,"

Lovino flushed, "I was not worried, I only came because my idiota brother needed help!"

Dr. Edelstein looked at Lovino nodding slowly, pretty unconvinced. He know that Lovino may have a temper, but he was also a caring boy.

"Hmm, still, it is odd seeing such a young new vampire. Usually they're a lot older." He murmured.

Feliciano shrugged, "Ve, maybe it was some accident?"

Lovino sighed, looking around, not particularly interested in the conversation. He saw nurse Hedervary washing some tools, the sound of running water filling his ears. He hated coming into this place, it reminded him to much of the past and made it harder to keep the memories at bay.

Before he knew it, the room seemed to have disappeared and he was thrust into one of his darker memories…

_Darkness. Silence. Cold._

_He couldn't see anything, he couldn't hear or move. He struggled, feeling something poke at his arm before pain shot through his whole body, his mouth opening in a silent scream. He heard whimpering, realizing it was him as the pain intensified. From somewhere near him, he heard a sobbing, and thought he heard his name being called._

"_Lovino! No! Stop! Don't hurt him!" _

_Feliciano? It was his brother's voice. He could hear the underlying sound of pain in Feliciano's voice and wanted desperately to help him. He couldn't move, the pain was paralyzing his limbs and every part of his body was numb and unresponsive. His mind was screaming loudly to save Feliciano, to run and hide! His head was pounding and he could hear his blood rushing through his body as his heart sped up, until-_

"Feliciano!" Lovino cried out, his voice a desperate plea.

Both Feliciano and Dr. Edelstein looked at Lovino, who had just jumped from the wall, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead as his eyes were dull and unfocused, darting from one side to another.

"Ve? Fratello?" Feliciano called, running over to his brother and grabbing Lovino's shoulders, shaking him until his eyes cleared, focusing on Feliciano.

"Oh… Feliciano…" Lovino said, he had grown pale and was trembling like a leaf.

Dr. Edelstein cleared his throat, "Feliciano, perhaps you should take Lovino outside. I can care for Alfred here. You're missing lunch time after all."

Feliciano gave a quick nod, pulling his brother out the door. "Ve~ Come on fratello, let's go. Maybe they still have some pasta left." He said as he pushed his brother out the door.

They passed by Matthew, who looked at them. "Did you two burn your hands on the cooking pots again?" He asked, noticing them coming out of the first aid room.

Lovino said nothing, trying to calm down. He was no longer pale, but was still shaking… He tried taking a few deep breaths, hoping for once that his little brother would speak in place of him... He just needed to sit down...

Feliciano just smiled, laughing as Matthew's hypothesis. "Ve~ No, not this time! Actually, that new student Alfred was following us to the lunchroom when he collapsed. We brought him here, that's all." He replied, stopping for a moment.

"Say, wasn't he the boy you were looking for this morning?" He asked, looking at Matthew. He was pretty sure Matthew was looking for someone by the name of Alfred.

Matthew's eyes widened, "Alfred? What happened to him?" he asked worriedly.

"Ve? Well, Dr. Edelstein said he needed blood so he's giving him some. He didn't say anything else though." Feliciano said, grabbing his brothers wrist and dragging him away. "I'll see you later in cooking class Matthew!"

Matthew watched the two boys leave, nodding and sighing. It was only the first day and his brother ends up in the First Aid room… He darted into the room, not bothering to open the door and simply going straight through the wall. He had to make sure his brother was all right.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Aha, I know it took forever for me to update! Sumimasen! *bows* Ah, I had a lot of things to do... The term ended and the teachers piled on the leftover work on the last week... <strong>**On the bright side, with term ending and spring break coming up, I'll have more time to work on the story! **

**I'm sure you noticed that the last chapter *which I've since removed* was made a separate story. It was just too long, and I doubted anyone wanted to find a giant chapter in the middle of the story anyways. I'll be doing that with other character stories and just let you know of new ones in my Author's Note at the end of "Monster High" chapters. I hope that will work out okay! **

**For those that have asked, yes I plan to put in some pairings, but I have no idea how to execute them. Not yet, anyways... Nor which pairings, but so far I can see ways to implement USUK and Spamano. These AREN'T solid pairings though, (as in it's still undecided) I'm currently more focused on involving the actual plot and getting things set in motion. It's sure taking a while... *sighs***

**Hopefully, with spring break coming up next week, I'll have figured out more things. The bright side is that I do have the basics of the plot planned, from start to finish; so it's a matter of bridging them and incorporating certain events. Only problem is how and with what. Eeeh, I'll work on it. I'm determined to not let this story die!**

**Thanks to all the new subscribers and favorites! It's fun and motivating; getting them in my email!**

**Reviews are welcome; Flames are used for heating up this copious amount of pasta I cooked yesterday... Yay... Leftovers... *No doubt she will not want to look at pasta for a long while...***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	12. Intro Arc: Chapter 12: Hidden

**Hmm... Uploading issues! (_) Sorry if you've received multiple alerts!**

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Dr. Edelstein! What happened to Alfred!" Matthew called, as soon as he got into the room. He saw his brother lying on a bed, Nurse Hedervary leaning over him and checking the small tube that hung from the IV next to his unconscious brother. Red liquid trailed down the thin line, into his brothers wrist<p>

He floated over, to the bed, looking at his brother, Dr. Edelstein walking up to him.

"Don't worry Matthew, Alfred is fine. He just needed some blood, that's all. He will wake up soon, do you want to stay here and wait for him to wake up?" he asked.

Matthew nodded, "Is that okay?" Usually, he spent lunch time in the first aid room; his power was extremely useful for Dr. Edelstein and Nurse Hedervary. He liked to help out around here. It made him feel like he was of some use, instead of a nearly see-through ghost.

Dr. Edelstein smiled, nodding and leaving the small room, Nurse Hedervary following. "I'll check up on him in a bit alright." He called back.

Matthew sighed, sitting on a nearby chair. He still winced when he did that, always expecting that he would pass right through, yet he never did… Well… He did a few times, but for the most part, he had been lucky.

Looking at Alfred's unconscious form on the bed reminded him of when he woke up as a ghost and trying to get used to his new… ghostly abilities. He always found himself staying at home and standing in their; well… Alfred's room.

Matthew would watch Alfred sleep, which was probably a little bit creepy when you think about it, but being around his brother seemed to calm him down. You could say that Alfred kept him sane those first few months. He was so confused when he woke up, yet somehow, his brother had an odd way of just… making him calm down, just enough for him to grasp his sanity and keep going.

Matthew smiled at Alfred, even though his brother couldn't see that. He would probably never tell Alfred how he watched him sleep, but someday he hoped to repay Alfred for that, even if Alfred didn't know what it was he did. Even before he became a ghost, Alfred was always there for him…

_It's kind of like he is… What was it?_ Matthew thought, _Something he always obsesses over? Oh right! He's kind of like my-_

"Hero…" Matthew whispered, snickering. His brother would go on a complete ego trip. Probably bother everyone about it too…

_Ah well, not like I'll ever tell him. I'm sure I would never hear the end of it. _Matthew thought, sighing.

A groan snapped Matthew from his thoughts as Alfred's eyes opened. He stood up, leaning over Alfred, "Glad to see you up Al."

Alfred groaned again and shut his eyes, he felt terrible. His head was pounding and his stomach felt like it was in some tiny boat on a rough ocean; being tossed up and down on the wavs. "Ugh… What happened?"

"You collapsed in the hallway on your way to the lunch room. I think you gave Feliciano quite a scare. Are you feeling a little better? You didn't get hurt anywhere?" Matthew replied. He wondered if Lovinno may have dropped Alfred or something…

"Hey, calm down, I'm fine, I think… Right now I feel like crap, but I'll be okay in a moment…" Alfred said, sitting up and stretching, only to wince as his leg flared up in pain.

Noticing the wince, Matthew shook his head. "Okay, don't be a tough guy, Al. What's the problem?"

Alfred sighed, not entirely sure himself, but complied to his brothers demands, rolling up his left pant leg. Matthew could see a large cut on his leg, it was red and blood was slowly flowing from it. He wondered why it hadn't stained his pants…

"Where'd you get that? I thought you just fainted? Don't tell me you got in a fight instead and someone knocked you out!" Matthew said, sighing as he looked closer.

Alfred shook his head quickly. "No way! I didn't fight! I really did faint… I think, I can't remember much, but I definitely didn't get into a fight! Maybe I landed on something when I fell?"

"Sure Al… Just stay still and let me do something..." Matthew said, taking a step forward.

Matthew then raised both hands; placing them gently on Alfred's leg; one on each side of the cut. To Alfred's surprise, Matthew's hand's didn't go through his leg. He couldn't feel them though, but they seemed almost solid to him…

Matther took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing as he felt the familiar, small tugging sensation in the middle of his stomach. A soft blue glow appeared from his palms, which grew brighter and began to surround Alfred's cut.

Alfred felt a gentle heat coming from his leg as he watched the glow grow brighter. It was so bright at one point, he had to squeeze his eyes shut before it slowly began to fade.

Once the blue glow had completely vanished, Alfred opened his eyes, looking down at his leg. The cut was gone; not even scar was left…

"Wha? What was that?" Alfred asked, his mouth hanging open in shock as he stared at his brother.

Matthew sighed, sitting on the bed. "It's my power, I discovered it a while ago… It's a long story though. To put it simply, I can heal people. I'm not entirely sure how it works.. .Or the limits, but it does come in handy sometimes."

Mathew watched as his brothers eyes widened, and for a moment he thought maybe his brother would react negatively and maybe scream or something. Instead he heard his brother take a deep breath and then-

"Woah! That's so cool! Totally amazing! Hey, do I have a power too? I mean, were brothers right, so maybe it's genetic or something?" He said, talking a mile a minute, his eyes glittering with amazement and excitement. "We should be heroes! Wait, no, you be the sidekick and I'll be the hero!"

Matthew shook his head, smiling, his brother got excited at everything… "I don't know if it's, erh, genetic, Al. Maybe it is… I've been told that It's not very common though. Still, it can't hurt for you to try, eh?"

Alfred bounced up and down, "Really? So I might have a cool power too then! Awesome! So how do I find out?"

Matthew stood up, looking at Alfred. "First of all, stop bouncing around like that! You're still not cleared by the doctor to be doing stuff like that! Secondly, I don't know. I learned of it from Arthur and I don't know how I did it. Maybe it just comes to you at some point? Or maybe you have to practice different things?"

Alfred sighed, "Oh… Well… I'll ask. Maybe Arthur would know? Or those two spirits, they were in the magical wing after all." He said, thinking hard. He definitely had to have a power! He was a hero, right!

Matthew looked up, "Eh? Arthur? You saw him again then? Wait…Spirits? What spirits?"

Alfred looked at Matthew. "Geez Mattie, one question at a time! Arthur was showing me around the school, that's how I met the spirits."

"Oh! I see. Hey, tell me about the tour. Maybe I know some of the people you met? Or at least the, uh, spirits." Matthew asked.

"Hmm, well, we went to the magical wing of the school first. I meet two spirits! Their names were… Um… Oh! Yao and Kiku! They seemed pretty nice, if not sorta serious."

Matthew nodded. "I've seen those guys around the school. They came to the school when Arthur did, about a year ago I think. At least, that's what Arthur said. Uh, but, maybe when you see them you should be more specific than just spirit… They seem to hold their specific titles with high esteem." He said, thinking back to one of his classes with them… Let's just say he got the "cold shoulder" for a week… He still didn't understand how Kiku could freeze one shoulder! He was a ghost! That's not to say Yao didn't leave his other shoulder alone… It still felt heavy… Like a rock…

Alfred just shrugged at his brothers concern; he didn't think it would be that big of a deal. "Okay, so afterwards, we went to the Demon wing where I met Gilbert and Ludwig. Gilbert was nice, but Ludwig kinda seems like.. erh…a stick in the mud…"

Matthew laughed, "Gilbert is nice, and loud like you. Ludwig is kind of like a stick in the mud, but he's just serious about everything. That's all. He seems to be more friendly around Feliciano though."

Alfred laughed in response. "Anyway, Arthur left me in the Demon wing cause he can't handle demon energy or whatever. So when I went to meet up with him again, I ran into a tall kid… Uhh… Ivan! Yeah, that's his name! We chatted but then he hid in a broom closet when his sister came. She is creepy… Is she even allowed to have a dagger inside the school?"

Matthew's eyes widened. If he wasn't already floating in mid-air, he would have jumped in surprise. "You met Ivan?"

Alfred nodded, looking at his brother with a confused look on his face. "Yeah. Don't tell me you believe those dumb rumors in the school. Arthur told me about them, but Ivan seems pretty nice. I don't think he's that bad."

"Yes, but, it's-" Matthew spluttered, wondering if he should have used his power on Alfred's brain too… To Matthew, Ivan seemed like the kind of kid who would let go of someone, only AFTER he caused some brain damage.

Alfred paused, thinking for a moment. "Well… He isn't too bad. Aside from that become-one-with-me stuff. Also the killing part… Can you believe he actually asked if he could kill me!" he laughed.

Matthew gave a small, awkward laugh. His brother did seem okay… Maybe he shouldn't be too quick to judge? Then again… He had seen Ivan a few times in the hallway, and it wasn't a great first impression.

"Well, once I finally found Arthur, I went to the Physical wing. He left me in a classroom, after giving me some stern talking to… What's his problem anyways? All I said was I thought the principals were normal…"

Matthew looked at Alfred. "Well… Arthur is just complicated like that I suppose…" He said, sighing. Arthur was an odd guy, sort of closed and a bit distant… Matthew had only been his friend for a short time, but he still felt like more of an acquaintance than a real friend.

"I met Feliciano and Lovino in the class, they were pretty nice. Though, Lovino sure has a short fuse or something." Alfred said, breaking Matthew's train of thought.

"Then the bell rang and I was following Feliciano and Lovino to the lunchroom when I fainted.." Alfred finished, looking at his brother.

Matthew nodded, "I see… You met a lot of people today. They're really nice though."

"Oh? So you've met them too?" Alfred asked.

"Of course. They're in a few of my classes. Actually, Feliciano and Lovino are in my next class." Matthew said looking absently at the clock on the wall. From what he could see, Alfred was fine, so he wouldn't worry. At least, he wouldn't once Alfred was given the okay from Dr. Edelstein.

Almost on cue, a door opened and Dr. Edelstein walked inside, not noticing Alfred and instead focusing on Matthew. "Oh, has he woken up yet Matthew?"

Matthew nodded, pointing to Alfred. Dr. Edelstein turned around, smiling. "Ah, good." He said, "Mind if I do a quick check Alfred? Its normal protocol."

Alfred nodded, wincing as Dr. Edelstein took out the IV, placing it on a tray. He watched as the doctor lifted his glasses up. His lilac colored eyes flashed red briefly before returning to their original color. Alfred wondered what that was, and was tempted to ask, but he felt a little intimidated…

Dr. Edelstein looked at Alfred, he knew what the boy was thinking. It was written all over his face. "That was my power. It's a form of Clairvoyance. I can use it to see if there is anything wrong with someone, like an X-ray you could say, only faster. It comes in handy often, especially in this profession. Elizaveta, would you please bring Alfred some water; he seems to be a little dehydrated." He called to the open door.

"Sure thing Roderich! Just a moment!" someone called back, the sound of a faucet turning on and the clinking of a glass.

Alfred looked as a lady with long brown hair and green eyes, wearing a bright red nurse's outfit, stepped inside the room, carrying a tray with a glass of water on it.

"Here you go, drink this." She said, passing him the glass.

Alfred took the glass in his hand. Surprisingly, he did feel fairly parched… Dr. Edelstein "Thank you… er."

"Oh! Right, your new here. My name is Elizaveta Hedervary, the doctor is Roderich Edelstein. Just call us by our formal titles, Roderich prefers that." She whispered, smiling. "He is strict that way."

Alfred nodded, she was nice. "Thank you Nurse Hedervary."

Matthew watched his brother drink and jumped, crying out in surprise when the bell rang overhead, the loud ring cutting through the silence of the room.

"Ahh!"

Alfred laughed at his brother, Matthew voice was so soft, even when he yelled! He nearly spewed water over himself and the bed as he place the glass down, not wanting to spill its contents. "You have to get to class don't you?" He asked.

Matthew sighed, "No its fine. I have cooking class, I suppose I can miss it." He said, sighing. Alfred could easily see through the lie.

"Hey, don't miss class on my watch… Wait, Mattie, you take cooking?" He laughed harder.

Matthew's cheeks turned white, becoming more opaque than translucent. Alfred suspected he was probably blushing.

"Shut up Al! So what if I take cooking… It's fun.." Matthew pouted, frowning and looking to the side.

Alfred covered his mouth, still laughing. His brother was just too fun to tease!

Dr. Edelstein looked up from his clipboard. "Well, I think cooking is quite a useful class. You learn to make some very delicious pastries. Though, the school really should find other sources for ingredients…" He said, looking at Matthew and Alfred.

"Alfred, you seem to be fine, so I think you can go. If you were following Feliciano and Lovino, they are taking cooking as well, so you should hurry. Actually, they're in Matthew's class, just follow him." Dr. Edelstien said, a slight smile on his face, though it was hidden by the clipboard.

Matthew snickered as Alfred's mouth dropped open in horror. "What? You mean I have to taking cooking class too?"

Nurse Hedervary and Dr. Edelstein both laughed at Alfred's expression as Matthew snickered again. "Come on Al! If we don't hurry, you'll get the pink apron~" He teased, happy his brother got a clean bill of health from Dr. Edelstein. He felt a bit smug too, Dr. Edelstien was pretty nice, despite how everyone thought he was a stick in the mud.

_Ugh, How heroic is cooking class_? Alfred thought, internally groaning. _Wait… Did Mattie just say pink apron!_

"Fine…" he said, standing up. He felt a lot better; his vision wasn't tilting or wavering and his head had lost the previous light feeling. Although, he was a little hungry… Maybe he could eat something in cooking class.

Dr. Edelstein cleared his throat, "Alfred, will you come see me after school. I'd like to talk to you a little. About how to, well, care for yourself.. Okay?"

Alfred nodded, "Alright."

Dr. Edelstein nodded, "Excellent. Then I'll see you in a while Alfred. You too Matthew, don't forget that you promised to help out today."

Matthew nodded; he liked it in the first aid room. For some very weird reason, he felt calm here… Al would probably laugh at that.

Alfred hurried out the door, the prospect of food enticing him to go quickly, Matthew following behind.

Dr. Edelstein watched Alfred and Matthew leave, his brow furrowed in concentration as the door closed with a soft click.

"Roderich, I know that look. You've either discovered something curious or something dangerous." Elizaveta said, examining her friend's expression.

"It's that boy, Alfred. There is something I sensed about him; it was a strong energy inside of him. I wonder if it's a hidden power perhaps. It most likely is, but there's something more. There's not a lot that I can't identify, I can tell if someone has a hidden ability or if they have a broken bone, or if they snuck a piece of gum under their lounge, but something like that… It's almost erratic yet, it's controlled… I can't describe it, nor identify it. But it's being held back and just barely. Like a wild animal tied back with a rusty chain…" Roderich explained, still staring at the door. "I'm worried about what will happen when whatever is holding it back; that chain… What will happen to the boy if it breaks."

"Hmmm… Well, he seems like a strong boy, and shows a lot of determination. I'm sure he's going to be fine Roderich. You worry a lot…" Elizaveta said, placing a hand on her friends shoulder. "After all, how much trouble could it cause? He doesn't even know about it."

Roderich just sighed, placing a hand on hers, not knowing how to respond. "I suppose you're right. I worry too much. You're a kind friend Elizaveta."

He decided he would just talk to the principals about it later. Who knows, maybe Alfred was a responsible kid? He was probably just thinking too much about it.

Somewhere in a cooking class nearby, the fire alarm rang as Alfred stood next to a smoking stove top, his brother face-palming. Alfred had burned the pancakes. Matthew stood watching as the teacher came with a fire extinguisher. As the teacher frantically put the flame out, he mourned the now black pancakes… They looked like Arthur's scones now! Matthew felt like crying for the poor pancakes…

_Well, when and if the time came, _Dr. Edelstein thought to himself. _The boy will be fine… Right?_

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I LIIIVVEE! *does that Mushu thing and rises* <strong>

**Ack! Sumimasen! I'm so sorry readers! I am so late in updating... The story isn't dead, but I'm sure I lost a ton of readers in the wait… *sighs* Oh well… I just hope I still have a few… (._. )**

**For some reason, this chapter was just weird to write… Urgh… It's probably not much, and a bit odd. But gives you a little peek into Matthew's thoughts I suppose.**

**I should work on character stories too… So much to do! I have to work on my English homework *which is an online course and I've been procrastinating…*this week, which is the last week of Spring Break! Grr… I need to find some time to type up more of this story! I will definitely! (_)**

**Updates may take a bit longer than a week, but please know that I won't drop this story! I really dislike when authors do that, and I swore to never do that with my stories. Not unless I officially cannot continue it. This story is my first and I want to make it a good one!**

**Anyways, I'll try my hardest to work on it when I can! Again, I'm sorry for the wait for this chapter and I hope you haven't given up on my story! Thanks to all new reviewers and favorites! (^u^)**

**Reviews are nice! Of course, only if you feel like it! Flames, I technically don't mind, as long as you provide a reason for them. I like constructive criticism. Still, I'll probably end up using them to burn English… But then, I could use it to fuel my drive, which would help complete my English homework instead of complain about it to my kind readers. (^_^")**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	13. Intro Arc: Chapter 13: Dodgeball

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Alfred sighed, stepping out of the cooking classroom, Matthew floating behind him. They were walking to their next class, which Feliciano and Lovino had already dashed off to.<p>

"Ugh, my clothes smell like smoke…" Alfred complained, sniffing his shirt.

"They wouldn't if you had listened to me and not added the batter so early. Plus, you just went over to Feliciano and chatted while the pancakes burned!" Matthew said, still sad about his pancakes.

"Hey! You can't even touch the pan, let alone eat them!" Alfred whined.

"Maybe I can't touch them, but I can eat them!" Matthew snapped back.

"Huh?"

"Ugh… When someone eats something, the ghost energy of the item is released, meaning I can actually touch it and eat it." Matthew said, sighing as he mourned his pancakes. He was looking forward to them…

"Wait, so you're eating floating, white, pre eaten food?" Alfred asked; an expression of disgust on his face.

"Well… Yes. I mean no! I mean… Sort of… Ugh, look it's the only way I can eat, so just go eat your… Your burned pancakes!" Matthew retorted.

Alfred laughed. "Technically, I already did~" He said happily. "They were good in the center; you just had to scrape off some of the burned parts!"

Matthew groaned, "Al… That was really unnecessary. You didn't have to eat them!"

"Yeah, but that's wasting food!" Alfred said cheerfully. "Mom always said not to waste food!"

"Oh, never mind…" Matthew said, sighing and giving up…

"So, where is our next class?" Alfred asked, he was getting a bit more used to this place. Not by much, after all, he still felt like running away every time something got close to him, but he managed to stop screaming when he saw a new monster.

Matthew looked at him, the tilted his head slightly, as he thought. "Hmm… I think that would be… Physical Education." He said, sighing. As a ghost, he didn't get to do much during that class. He would probably end up sitting on the bench again.

"Woah really! I love Phys. Ed!" Alfred said cheerfully, forgetting about the odd goo monster things that just passed by… Really, he didn't want to scream again…

Matthew nodded, "Come on, I'll take you there."

Alfred followed excitedly, Physical Education was his favorite subject in school, and he wondered what it might be like here? He hoped for a good round of dodge ball, his favorite game. He was too excited to even get scared at the passing monsters, though when he saw a seaweed monster, he might have jumped a bit…

He entered the gymnasium, his eyes wandering around the large room. He saw Feliciano talking with Ludwig and Kiku. He also saw Ivan, who was standing next to Yao. Strangely enough, Yao didn't seem scared of Ivan, though everyone else was. There was a large gap between Ivan and the rest of the students…

To his left he could see Lovino, who was talking with a boy. Alfred had never seen the boy before; he had brown hair and green eyes as well as olive colored skin. The boy wore a normal tan shirt and some tan pants with brown shoes; fairly plain. To Alfred he seemed pretty normal, there were no wings or fur, not even a sharp claw or two. The boy was smiling and Alfred watched as he hugged Lovino, hearing the boy's angry protests from where he stood.

To his right, he saw Gilbert, talking to another boy he hadn't seen before. The boy had golden blonde hair, and upon first glance, Alfred wondered if he had been in a terrible accident. The boy was covered in various bandages, all over his arms and legs, the bandages wound up the boy's arms and under an elegant blue shirt, while the bandages on the boys legs traveled upwards before being covered by some bright red pants. Alfred thought the boy looked extremely flashy… You could probably spot him a mile away with his bright colored clothes…

In the corner of the gym, amongst other students, he saw Arthur, leaning against the wall. He was about to go over to him, when-

"Phweet!' A whistle blew and Alfred stopped, looking over at a tall man in the middle of the gym. "Everyone line up in front!"

The man wore the normal attire of a coach, some shorts and a T-shirt, his face covered by a baseball hat. The strangest thing was, Alfred couldn't see anything else! The man's clothes looked like they were just floating in mid-air! Where was the rest of the guy's body?

"That's Coach Henry, he is sort of… Invisible." Matthew whispered, as he stood next to Alfred, everyone else lining up.

Invisible? That was cool! Alfred wondered how that was possible though… "Something to do with chemicals and stuff. There are a lot of rumors, but no one really knows." Matthew whispered, as though reading his brothers thoughts.

"All right you kids, today because class C is joining us for physical education today, due to someone being too lazy to teach them, were going to have to change the plans. So, after 3 laps around the gym, set up the balls and were going to play dodge ball!" Coach Henry called.

"Yeah!" Alfred called from the back, raising his fist in excitement and jumping up with glee.

Everyone turned to look at Alfred, who immediately lowered his hand and looked down in embarrassment. "Ehe, sorry."

Coach Henry shook his head and blew his whistle again, "Get going then!"

Alfred began to run, following the other students. The gym was actually really big… A single lap around would be like running around a football field at least. Sighing, he kept a balanced pace, then looking behind him, he was surprised to see Matthew.

"Hey bro, why are you running? Aren't you a ghost, so doing this won't really benefit you or something?" He called behind him.

"Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I shouldn't exercise Al!" he called back. "Besides, I have to sit out on the game, no way am I missing the chance to run!"

Alfred continued running. That's right, aside from hockey, Matthew's favorite game was dodge ball. They always made a good team when they played together.

_Hmmm, being a ghost sure doesn't help Matthew in anyway… He can't really eat, or play… What could he do that was enjoyable to him?_ Alfred thought, his mind wandering, though he was still running. _Well… he could heal, right? Still, that doesn't se-_

Lost in thought, Alfred had continued running, but not noticing he had already completed three laps, he barreled right into someone. Thanks to his new strength, he managed to not fall backwards. The same couldn't be said for the person he ran into, who happened to go flying and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"Ack! Hey, are you alright! I'm so sorry!" Alfred called, running up to the person he crashed into. The guy looked really strange, he had a normal human body, yet the head was one of a bulls. It made Alfred think of that mythological monster he had read about a long time ago… What was it called?

"A Minotaur! That was it!" Alfred said suddenly.

The minotaur looked up, his eyes flashed red when he saw Alfred, probably not pleased by Alfred's comment either.

_Oh crud, he looks really mad._ Alfred thought, resisting the urge to call out "Mad cow disease!" Instead backed up and gave this guy some space; anything to prevent a fight.

"You! Why don't you watch where you're going!" he spat angrily.

"Woah, I said I was sorry! I just wasn't paying attention!" Alfred said, a few feet from the Minotaur.

"Hey! Rock! Quit bothering the other students!" Arthur called from afar. Alfred felt relieved, but also a little undermined. He could handle this kid!

Rock glared, shaking his head. "Whatever. I'll feel better when the dodge ball game starts." He said, glaring at Alfred.

Alfred looked at him nervously, he had better watch out for that guy…

The coach blew his whistle, "Everyone get on teams, then go to one of the walls. Wait for me to blow my whistle! Remember, below the waist and play fair!" he called out.

People immediately shifted into two teams, Alfred standing in the middle, he watched as Feliciano tugged Lovino and Ludwig to one side, the olive skinned boy following Lovino while Gilbert followed Ludwig. The flashy boy flipped his hair and walked to the same side as well. Ivan, Kiku, Yao and Arthur went to the opposite side. Alfred wasn't sure which side to go on, until he heard Gilbert call to him.

"Hey! Alfred, come on this side! It has the awesome me on it, so we will definitely win!"

Alfred smiled, running over to Gilbert. He heard Arthur say something along the lines of "Good, now I can get even…" as well as hearing Ivan laugh happily. He would make sure to keep his eyes on those two…

He also noticed Rock was on the other team; he was glaring at him… Alfred would definitely watch for that guy… He looked like he was out for blood. Shiesh, all he did was run into him, he did apologize after all!

Alfred heard Matthew sigh and turned, seeing Matthew move over to sit on a bench next to the coach.

"Hey Mattie!" He called, waving to his brother, who looked up and nervously waved back, feeling some of the students gazes trained on him. It seemed they didn't notice that he was there until now… Again…

"Don't worry! I'll try hard for both of us, okay!" Alfred called back. Matthew nodded, sighing again when his brothers attention was directed towards the balls.

Coach Henry blew the whistle and Alfred sprang into action. He dashed for a ball, grabbing one and running backwards, tossing the first one towards a random student, immediately knocking them out of the game. The game had begun.

Alfred watched as everyone began to get into the game. He saw Feliciano hiding behind Lovino, who was tossing balls at the other team like crazy. Ludwig and Gilbert were standing side to side, Ludwig catching balls and tossing them to Gilbert, who tossed them back towards unsuspecting students. The olive skinned boy had a close call. He had prepared to take a hit for Lovino, but ended up catching the ball instead, knocking the thrower out of the game. The flashy boy was only dodging, though once and a while he saw the boy throw a few balls at people who had already been knocked out of the game…

Alfred dodged another ball, examining the other team. He watched as Ivan merely stood still, catching a ball with one hand and tossing it back with enough force to cause a concussion… Kiku was dodging the balls with swift speed; it was almost ninja like, the way he seemed to flit from one place to another. Yao was throwing the balls with sharp accuracy. It seemed he always hit his target.

Alfred ducked an incoming ball, grabbing one next to him and tossing it. He had managed to make it to the front lines of their side, here he was vulnerable, but had a better chance of hitting someone. He was about to throw the ball at someone when a shadow loomed above him. Looking up, he saw Rock, who surprisingly, was taller than him.

"You! I believe I have some unfinished business with you." He said angrily, his eyes focusing on Alfred.

Alfred's eyes widened as he stopped, spinning around and about to, un-heroically, run from Rock, when he cried out in surprise, immediately dropping to the floor.

When he had turned around, he saw Gilbert with the flashy boy and the olive skinned boy, each holding a ball. Their arms were drawn back, ready to launch them; however, all were aimed in his general direction. He had dropped down just in time to avoid getting hit in the face.

However, with Alfred gone, there was nothing protecting Rock from getting hit. A loud smack was heard as all three balls made contact with the Rock's face, followed by a thump as he fell backwards on the floor.

Alfred watched as Gilbert and his friends began to scatter, clearly they knew what was coming for them once Rock got back up.

Rock sat up, the balls rolling off him. He looked around for the culprits, completely forgetting about Alfred. His eyes were focused on the three boys running away.

"You idiots!" he yelled, his nostrils flaring and eyes fiery red. "I have had enough of you three troublemakers!" he began to run at them, head low and horns pointed towards Gilbert.

"Woah! Hey! Wait!" Alfred called. He ran after Rock, he couldn't just let his friend get killed by this enraged beast! He didn't know what he would do once he reached Rock, but he had to try!

Even with his new vampire speed, Rock was faster. He had almost reached Gilbert, who was cowering in fear, pressed against the gym wall.

" Stop!" Alfred grabbed a nearby ball and threw it at the Minotaur, hitting him square in the back of the head. The monster turned at looked at him, instantly changing targets and dashing towards Alfred.

Crud! He hadn't thought this through very well... Spinning on his heel, he began dashing across the gym, Rock charging right behind him.

Vaguely he heard a whistle sound, it was probably the coach, but he gave it no notice. He was panicking; reaching the end of the gym, and spinning around to face the threat. Rock was close now, a few more seconds and he would reach Alfred.

As a last resort, he thrust his hands in front of his body. Maybe he could protect his head at least? He braced himself, readying himself for the impact, but was shocked by what happened instead.

A foot In front of him, Rock stopped. Or at least, he was stopped. It was like Rock crashed into an invisible wall. One moment he was running towards Alfred, the next he was sprawled out on the floor.

Alfred stared in shock, what was that! He looked around himself and could see a thin blue glow completely surrounding him. The air was crackling with energy, making the small hairs on his neck stand up. Yet, the energy didn't feel electric, like when he was around Kiku, it just felt like... Energy.

He gazed in wonder at the blue glow for a moment, reaching forward and pulling back in surprise when his hand touched something. It was indeed like an invisible wall, and he looked down at Rock.

_What are you waiting for? Why not finish him? _A rough voice whispered, it sent a chill down Alfred's spine. It sounded menacing and cold.

_What? What was- _Alfred thought, looking around the Gym. No one was there, and everyone was staring at the fallen Minotaur.

_He is down, he was going to hurt your friend. Why not punish him for it?_

_Wh- what? No! That's crazy! I can't hurt him, besides, the dude is out cold! _Alfred thought.

_Really? But what if he hurts your friends later? What about if he hurts Arthur, or Matthew? Can you take that chance?_

For a moment, Alfred considered it. The strange voice had a point, but instead, he took a step back from the blue wall and the fallen Minotaur. As soon as he moved, the blue glow faded, as did the voice.

As soon at the glow faded, Rock jumped to his feet. Maybe he wasn't knocked out as Alfred had previously hoped.

"What the- Hey! You're not allowed to use your powers here! You're going to be in trouble now, shrimp!" Rock said, pointing at Alfred with a smug look.

"B-but-" Alfred stammered "But I didn't know I could do this! I don't even know what it is?"

_I don't even know what the voice was either…_Alfred thought absently, bur refrained from speaking as the coach approached.

"Hey! Kid! The boy is right! No using powers in my gym! Hurry up, to the office with you. I won't have trouble makers in my class." Coach Henry said, "I need someone to take him! Make sure he goes straight there!" the coach called out.

Alfred was surprised and confused. "But it's not my fault! I didn't even start this!" He said exasperatedly.

"Maybe not, but you broke one of my rules. That one was my number one rule kid. Talk to the principals about it." Coach Henry said, looking around, "Now then, is anyone going to volunteer to take him to the office or will I have to start choosing at random?"

"Ah, coach! I'll take him to the office!" A voice called, Alfred looked towards the direction. It was Arthur.

"Kirkland? Alright, fine then. But return to class when you're done!" Coach Henry said.

Arthur nodded, grabbing Alfred's wrist and quickly pulling him out the gym doors without another word.

Alfred looked back as the doors closed; some kids were looking at him in awe, while others looked a little afraid. He saw Feliciano bouncing with excitement while Lovino just glared in his direction. Ludwig, Yao, Kiku, and Ivan had calculating looks while Gilbert and his friends were sighing in relief, probably glad they were safe from harm.

He was confused, and perhaps a little bit in shock, so he didn't react at all, as he allowed Arthur to pull him away from the gym.

Before the doors shut, he saw Matthew, who had a worried look on his face. He wondered if perhaps, Matthew was worried about his health, or if he was worried about what would happen at the principal's office?

Now Alfred began to worry, and as they walked down the hall, he could only hope that the principals were in a merciful mood... Of course, as he went over it, a picture of Principal Germania came to his mind. He began to wonder if he would have time to say goodbye to his brother before he was kicked out...

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

**OTL *Failure***

**I know! This chapter is late... Late... Late... *word echoes in her mind***

**I know this chapter is a bit odd, and may seem rushed. There is suddenly action and a strange occurrence... Still! Fear not, as I will be developing Alfred's strange ability further! There will be more to come!**

**Ugh, school has seriously piled up! I come back one day and the teachers throw homework and tests in my face... I'm getting stressed... (.)**

**I have a few pre-made chapters, and I'm working on character stories. I have so many ideas for this story but there is never any time to write them in long chapters! No worries though, they'll get written eventually. I apologize to the readers for these updates and future ones, which may be a little sporadic... (=_=)**

**I know, plot still is slow... I promise that once you see the prophecy, plot will get a good boot, meaning I'll begin to delve more into an actually story than just a bunch of fillers... *sighs* I don't think I'm doing a great job as an author... **

**Oh well, I started the story and I should finish it! *determination* **

**Thanks for all the favourites and alert subscriptions! Reviews too! It's nice to read them.**

**Reviews are welcomed, and flames that have real reason in them are also fine. Any poor flames that are just plain trolling are to be used to stoke my stove, which I will soon make some calming tea on. *Could really use some***

**(=w=)**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	14. Intro Arc: Chapter 14: Visions

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Arthur walked down the hall with Alfred, this made it the third time he had been to the principal's office today! Oh, what the bloody hell had made him volunteer to take Alfred to the office! He could be tossing balls at the mummified frog in gym class right now!<p>

"Alfred, you idiot! Why did you have to go and use your power? You just had to go break the coach's rule?" Arthur growled in annoyance as they walked down the hall.

Alfred shook his head. "I didn't know I could do that… whatever that was." He said, turning to look at Arthur. "What was that?"

Arthur stopped in mid-step. "What? What do you mean, what was that? You used your powers, right? What else could it possibly be?" Alfred couldn't be that clueless… Could he?

"Uh? Random luck?" Alfred said sheepishly. He really had no idea…

"… You're serious? You don't know what you did?" Arthur exclaimed. He didn't think Alfred could be more of an idiot right now…

Alfred just looked at Arthur, a frown on his face. Arthur was making him feel really stupid… "If you know so much, then why don't you explain?" he said annoyed.

Arthur opened his mouth, about to explain when he realized that they were standing in front of the principal's office.

"Look, I'll explain later on, that is, if the principals don't explain first…" Arthur said, reaching for the doorknob.

"There might not be a later. " Alfred said nervously, forgetting all about the occurrence as he looked at the door.

"Eh? Why not?" Arthur asked, removing his hand from the doorknob.

"Well, what if the principal's kick me out or something! I did break a rule after all! Besides, I've been to their office so much today! Who knows how long their patience will last!" Alfred said, the tone of his voice raising higher as he began to panic. He wanted to leave, yes, but at the moment, he still didn't know where to go…

Arthur sighed. "Calm down you git! The principals are very understanding; they wouldn't just kick you out like that! Besides, didn't you say that you had no clue you could do that? Just explain it to them, and stop twitching like that! It's getting annoying Alfred."

Alfred stopped bouncing from one foot to another, he couldn't help it! It felt just like all those times back at his old school. After Mattie was gone, he wasn't usually on his best behavior. The principal, crazy old lady she was, always seemed to chew him up and spit him out, for lack of a better term.

Arthur sighed, watching as Alfred wrung his hands together instead. "Never mind…" He turned the doorknob and opened the office door, stepping inside as Alfred followed behind.

The secretary looked up, her eyes recognizing the two boys as she pointed to a chair nearby. Both boys sat and waited for one of the principal's door to open. Alfred only hoped that it was Principal Roma's…

The two boys took a seat in the pale blue chairs, Alfred fidgeting while Arthur watched.

"Ugh, bloody hell Alfred. Stop fidgeting! Trust me, you'll be fine." Arthur mumbled, placing a hand on Alfred's shoulder.

Alfred sighed, taking a deep breath, then did his best to stop twitching and fidgeting, much to Arthur's relief.

"Thanks Artie… Maybe you're right…"

Arthur frowned, "Don't call me that…"

Alfred just chuckled and stayed silent, looking towards the office doors. A few minutes later, the secretary looked up at the two boys.

"The principal will see you now." She said in a wispy tone.

"Which one?" Alfred asked, sitting up a little straighter in his chair.

The secretary raised an eyebrow. "Both."

Alfred gulped, the pit in his stomach growing… He stopped himself from shaking, but he was still nervous… "Both?"

She nodded, gesturing to Principal Roma's office, "Don't keep them waiting."

Alfred and Arthur stood up, going over to the door and opening it. Together, Alfred and Arthur stepped inside the office, Alfred trailing behind. His mind was preoccupied as he attempted to think of a good way to explain his actions. So far, he was pulling a blank…

Principal Roma and Principal Germania sat in some office chairs, Roma spinning around while Germania reprimanded him for his childish actions.

"Roma! Stop that immediately. Students are here and you're setting a bad example!" He said angrily.

Roma skidded to a stop, leaning forward on the back of the chair and looking at the two boys who had just entered his office. "Hmm… So there are. Oh? Alfred and Arthur?" He said, a look of recognition appearing on his face. "I think you're a bit early to pick up your schedule Alfred… Arthur, don't you have class right now?"

Arthur nodded "Oh… Yes, well, Alfred was sent here by Coach Henry. There was a bit of trouble in the gym." Arthur said. Alfred was thankful for that, he felt a bit tounge-tied and could fell Germania's eyes trained on him.

"I see, well, you don't have to stay here if you don't want to. You've brought Alfred here after all." Principal Roma said, looking between the two boys.

"Er, it's okay… They won't miss me…" Arthur said, thinking it best to stay and prevent Alfred from making the whole situation worse.

Principal Roma laughed. "Ah right! That little spat with the minotaur, Rock. Don't worry about that Alfred, Rock needs a lesson in controlling his short temper. It's about time someone did something."

"Eh?" Alfred was stunned. Was Principal Roma giving him a metaphorical pat-on-the-back for knocking a student flat on the back! Wait…

"How did you know? You weren't there in the gym!" Alfred asked. "Uh, sir." He said, adding the sir as a bit of an afterthought. He didn't want to push his luck with these two.

Roma laughed again, looking at Alfred. "Well Alfred, we are not normal, as you know already. We have our ways of knowing what goes on here."

Alfred was about to reply when Principal Roma froze. He was still as stone and his eyes had a blank look, as though he was seeing something from far away.

"Uh… Principal Roma?" Alfred asked, receiving nothing in response. He was about to move forward to tap on the man's shoulder when Germania spoke. Alfred had almost forgotten he was there.

"He is having a vision Alfred. Stay as quiet as you can until it is over…" Germania whispered, his eyes trained on his friend. He made his way to the nearby desk, pulling out a few sheets of paper and three pens. He walked back and passed both Alfred and Arthur a sheet of paper and a pen. "He talks fast, just write anything you hear and we can sort it out later."

Alfred was confused, but as soon as he took the paper, Principal Roma began to speak. Alfred didn't think that anyone could speak that fast. To Alfred, it sounded like a poem, though he could only catch the first verse before he was lost.

"_**Amongst the darkness, ten will appear. A sign that the end is near,"**_

Alfred shivered at Principal Roma's tone of voice. No longer was it light and cheerful, but now it was rough and deep. It was as though Principal Roma had changed into an old man, one who had seen a lot… He sounded wise, yet… almost haunted, as Alfred continued to listen.

After two more verses, Principal Roma stopped, the room growing eerily silent as the sound of pens scratching on paper stopped. Alfred watched the blank look on Principal Roma's face vanish, replaced with a confused expression.

"Hm? Why are you staring at me like that?" Principal Roma asked; his voice once again back to its light tone. It was like those past few minutes never happened, or at least, to Roma.

Principal Germania cleared his throat, holding up his sheet of paper; Roma's eyes widening when he saw what was in his friend's hand.

"Oh? A new prophecy? It's been a while, hasn't it Germania?" Principal Roma said casually, though Alfred could hear some underlying strain…

_Is he tired? Or maybe worried?_ Alfred wondered as he watched Germania walk over to Principal Roma.

Germania nodded, sensing the distress from his friend. "Ja, but I didn't get the first or the second part. My pen lid was stuck because someone-" He looked at Roma, frowning though his eyes shined with amusement. It seemed he was trying to lighten the situation. "-has been chewing them in his spare time."

Before Principal Roma could respond, Arthur stepped in. "Ah, I got the second, but the first was too fast for me."

Everyone looked at Alfred next. "Erh… I got the first." He said, holding up his paper.

Principal Germania nodded, "Good. Hand me you papers, I'll put them together." He said, holding out his hand and taking the papers as Alfred and Arthur held them out.

"Hm…" Principal Germania passed them to Roma, who looked at them with a frown.

Alfred watched as Principal Roma whispered something to Germania, before they parted and folded up the papers.

Principal Roma cleared his throat; the carefree light in his eyes seemed to have dimmed from whatever it is that they saw. Still, it was clear he was trying hard to keep his cheerful demeanor in front of his students.

"Yes, well. Don't worry about the incident Alfred." Principal Roma said as the bell rang overhead. looked up. "Oh, school ended already? Well I should hurry and find you a room to stay in Alfred. I'll be right back."

Alfred watched Principal Roma exit the room quickly, leaving himself and Arthur with Principal Germania.

"You boys, I would request that you don't repeat what you have heard here…" Germania said, looking at the two with narrowed eyes. He didn't want to cause a panic in the school if t got out.

Both Alfred and Arthur nodded, knowing it was best to agree with the man. They didn't want to anger him.

"Good. Thank you boys." Principal Germania nodded in approval.

Principal Roma walked back into the office holding a key in his hand and a paper. "Here we go! There was an empty room next to Arthur's room. You can have that one, Arthur can show you where. This paper is your schedule; I put you in a few different classes. Though, I made sure you're not in any of Rock's classes!" he said happily, his cheerfulness had returned and he smiled at Alfred as he handed him the items.

"Er, about that. I don't really know what happened there…" Alfred said quietly.

Principle Roma nodded, "Yes, I could see that. Not to worry Alfred, someone will explain it to you, I'm sure. Matthew or Arthur can in fact, why don't you ask them in a bit. You should really get them to explain it to you; it's a good conversation topic." Principal Roma said, looking at Alfred. "Conversations lead to making friends, and friends are important… Especially right now…" He murmured, averting his eyes.

"Erh? Sir?" Alfred asked, looking at Principal Roma, a look of confusion on his face. What did he mean?

"Oh, nothing Alfred, don't worry." Principal Roma said with a laugh, turning and sitting back in his chair. "You had best hurry off boys; don't want to keep them waiting."

Alfred didn't want to leave just yet. He wanted to know what the other papers said, and was about to ask, until Arthur jumped in.

"Right then, I'll show Alfred where to go!" He said, tugging Alfred towards the office door.

"What? But I-"

"Not now!" Arthur hissed in his ear, tugging Alfred out of the door. "Thank you Principal Roma, Principal Germania." He called as the door closed and they were out in the hallway again.

Arthur let Alfred go after they had walked a fair distance away from the office.

As soon as he was let go, Alfred spun around angrily, opening his mouth to ask Arthur why they had suddenly left like that.

"Calm down you git! I know you were curious, as was I, but no matter what you say, they wouldn't tell you. Clearly Principal Roma had closed the subject, couldn't you tell?" Arthur said, holding his hand up to prevent Alfred from speaking.

"Look, I'll tell you what was on my paper if you tell me what was on yours, fair enough?" Arthur asked. Despite the angel's stern tone, Alfred could hear the curiosity in his voice.

"Okay. Mine said _**Amongst the darkness, ten will appear, a sign that the end is near**_**."** Alfred said. He couldn't help but remember them; it was like Principal Roma's rough voice etched them into his brain.

"Hmm… Mine said _**Masters of magic and one of a kind; each will need to keep a clear mind**__._" Arthur said.

"Wonder what that means? It doesn't sound pleasant." Alfred murmured, rolling over the words in his head.

Arthur shrugged. "No clue, but I'm certain the principals are on it; nothing to worry about. Besides, there's no darkness here, except in the demon wing. Someone tampered with the lights again."

"I suppose so." Alfred murmured, smiling slightly, still… he couldn't stop thinking about it. It was making his head hurt… "Oh! Hey, you're supposed to show me to my room, right?" Alfred asked, deciding to leave it for now… Arthur was probably right; the principals would take care of it.

Arthur nodded, "Yeah, but you're supposed to see , remember? Your brother's probably there already."

"Oh, right! I forgot." Alfred said, smiling as they began walking towards the first aid room. Well, technically, he just followed Arthur, since he still didn't know his way around the school quite yet.

"Alfred, those things are important! You can't just forget them like that!" Arthur said, huffing in annoyance.

"Hey, I can't help it! Besides, you forgot to go back to the gym like the coach told you!" Alfred retorted, happy to be on a lighter topic now.

Arthur smacked Alfred, "Oh, and whose fault was that! Would you rather I left you in the office."

Alfred shook his head quickly. "Nah, it was better with you there, just unexpected. Why did you stick around?"

Alfred watched Arthur's walking pace increase and hurried to keep up. "I don't know… I just didn't want to see you kicked out or something. You looked so nervous; it was like you were going to melt into the floor. If I wasn't there, no doubt you would have goofed up and done something stupid. Matthew is happy with you here, and if you were gone, he would go back into that depressed mood he was in before." Arthur said hastily.

Alfred sighed in response. His brother was depressed before? Well, he could understand that… His thoughts were interrupted when Arthur abruptly stopped in front of the first aid room, causing Alfred to crash into him.

"Oi, watch it!" Arthur said as Alfred apologized. The door opened as Nurse Hedervary peered out into the hall, curious to find out what the commotion was about.

"Ah, there you are, you two! Come inside, Roderich was waiting for you." Nurse Hedervary said, pushing the door open to let them inside.

Alfred hurried into the room, Arthur following behind slowly. His mind focused on other things. He would rather it be focused on more complex problems, such as the meaning of Principal Roma's words. Instead he was thinking about Alfred's question, not feeling the dull throb his heart gave as he watched the boy hurry into the office.

_Why did you stick around?_

Arthur sighed "To be honest… I don't know." He murmured as he heard the door close behind him.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the school, Principal Germania watched his friend flirt with the secretary as he thought about the drawer that contained the papers he collected from the two boys. He watched as the secretary gave Roma a slap; his friend only laughing in response.<p>

Of the three papers he collected, he was worried about one of them… The one that, thankfully, the other boys didn't see… He didn't know what it meant, but he would have to keep a close eye on the students now… It was just… Unsettling to him…

"_**They must join together, and then decide. The fate of the world, will they cast it aside?"**_

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Yay! Finally, I've gotten into the plot! A bit... OTL<strong>

**Sorry everyone, I think this is late... *sighs* I am really poor at updating... Still, I hope you are still reading. I know this wasn't too much, but you can expect that this won't be the end of the prophecy. I really need to step this up, I have barely written... There's so much school... I expect though, summer *lol way to far from now* will bring faster updates and a more complete story. (^_^")**

**This weekend I won't have much time, I'll be at my first convention! Too bad I'm going alone... OTL Oh well, I've always wondered what conventions were like. I want to explore as much I can! *excited* (u)**

**I'll keep trying hard to work on it! I still haven't given up on the story! This must be completed! (^o^)**

**Anyways, thank you to all who have reviewed, subscribed and the new favorite story alerts too!**

**Reviews are welcomed, flames with carefully considered criticism are fine. Any other kinds of flames will be used to cook my soup! (^_^)**

**Thank you to all readers who are really very patient! *gives you cookies***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	15. Intro Arc: Chapter 15: The Upper Dorms

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Alfred stood in the first aid room, looking at the various medicines on the shelf as he waited for Dr. Edelstein.<p>

_Hmm… Penicillin… Flu Vaccine… Egyptian Scarab Disease… North Western Rock Virus?_

"Hey Arthur, are these real diseases?" Alfred asked, looking up from the cupboard and turning to the angel who was standing against the wall.

Arthur nodded. "Yes, but it varies with each person. Different diseases affect different people."

"Huh, even monsters can get sick.." Alfred said absently, as a door opened.

"I apologize for the wait Alfred." Dr. Edelstien said, walking into the room.

"Huh? Oh, it's fine. Uh…" Alfred looked around the room, "Is Mattie here?"

"Matthew? Yes, he's here, but he is in the other room. One of the nature spirits was burned in a magic class and he is helping to speed up the healing. He'll be done soon." Dr. Edelstein said, taking off his plastic gloves and moving to the back room to dispose of them.

"Oh, okay. So, um…" Alfred didn't know what to say. He couldn't even remember why he was called here. With everything that been happening, it had just slipped his mind.

Roderich smiled, "I just wanted to let you know how to care for your new vampire body Alfred, don't worry." He said, pulling out a stack of papers from a shelf in the back room. "Oh… I forgot to sort these… Well, I'll just explain instead, I'm certain you can remember Alfred."

Alfred nodded, listening carefully as came out of the back room, sitting in front of Alfred.

"Well, the main point is that you need blood and wi-"

"Woah! Wait! I'm not biting anyone! That's just-"

"Hey! Don't interrupt me! Really, that's very rude…" said, frowning.

Alfred heard a small groan from Arthur's direction; no doubt it was in disapproval. He at least had the will not to snap back and say that Dr. Edelstein also interrupted him after he interrupted the doctor.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted, you need blood or you will weaken, like you did earlier. If you don't get any, you'll die Alfred, and it won't be painless. Luckily, since it seems you can eat any-"

"Eat? Oh yeah! I had some great pancakes! They were a bit burnt, but they were really good if you scrape them off!" Alfred said, smiling as he remembered his brother's horrified expression when he practically inhaled those pancakes in an earlier class. Heh, he did like messing with his brother, it was a plus for being here.

Arthur groaned again as mumbled something that sounded like "Idiot."

"Alfred you git, listen!" Arthur called from the other end of the room.

"Oh! Sorry!" Alfred said, shutting his mouth and looking at Dr. Edelstein.

"Yes, well, because you can eat normal food, for some odd reason that's beyond my understanding; you won't need as much blood. You can come here for the blood, since you've made it perfectly clear that you won't be using traditional means. For the first week, you'll have to come for some each day, understood?" Dr. Edelstien said, looking at Alfred.

Alfred nodded, he hoped he wouldn't have to drink it or something… He'd rather it from that IV line like before. The thought of having to suck blood from either someone or a bag made Alfred shiver. "Yes, I got it…"

Dr. Edelstein nodded in approval. "Good, since you won't be drinking blood from others, it saves me part of the explanation. I'll just move on to the next part then."

They sat in silence for a moment as Alfred watched Dr. Edelstein stood there, thinking about what to say next.

"Hmm, well, that's it actually. I won't need to explain about methods of drinking blood, or the pros and cons…" Dr. Edelstien said, picking up a paper on his desk and looking it through.

_It must be a list or something…_ Alfred thought absently, looking around the room. He was getting bored and his mind was wandering…

"Oi! Alfred, pay attention!" Arthur said, standing straight and walking over to Alfred, giving him a smack in the head. He just couldn't stand by and allow Alfred to be so rude…

Alfred flinched, rubbing his head. "Ow… Okay, sorry…"

Alfred watched as stood up and looked at him. "Well, I believe that is all. Do you have any questions Alfred?"

Alfred looked at Dr. Edelstein. He had a ton of questions… Unfortunately Dr. Edelstein most likely couldn't answer them…

"Well, no…" Alfred said sighing. He was getting tired, and really wished he could sleep…

Dr. Edelstein nodded. "All right then. I'll check on Matthew and see if he is finished in the other room, I'm sure you can walk back with him."

Alfred nodded, thankful that he didn't have to ask. He watched as Dr. Edelstein walked out of the room, and leaned against the wall.

Arthur watched Alfred, wondering why he never asked… "Hey, weren't you going to ask about what happened in the gym? You know, about your power?"

Alfred looked up, "Oh right! Well… I guess it's a bit late now…" Alfred said, wondering why he didn't. It must have slipped his mind. He was feeling so tired right now, everything from today was catching up.

_Well, just a bit longer and I'll have a good sleep…_ Alfred consoled his tired body, shrugging in response to Arthur. "The principals did say that you or Mattie could explain? Can you?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, I guess we could… But I'll tell you later. Once Matthew comes out and I show you to your room." Arthur said, sighing. It was a long explanation, but he supposed that with Matthew's help, he could probably explain it to Alfred. Though he wondered if Alfred would follow…

"Sorry for making you wait…" A soft voice came from the doorway. Alfred and Arthur looked up in the direction of the door. Standing in the doorway was his brother Matthew. He looked a little tired though…

"Hey Mattie!" Alfred called, jumping up and walking over to his brother. He was about to give his brother a pat on the back, but stopped himself. "Ah, you okay bro? You look tired."

Matthew nodded, "Yeah, healing takes a lot out of me… Maybe because Kuma isn't with me… I wonder where he went?" he said absently.

"Dude, who's Kuma? Is he your boyfr-"

Arthur smacked Alfred, knowing exactly what Alfred was implying. "Kumajiro is Matthew's polar bear, and my friend, git!"

"Woah! Mattie! You have a polar bear! Haha! Hey wait, I want a pet too!" Alfred said, looking around and behind Matthew for the so-called polar bear. He had only ever seen a few polar bears at a zoo.

When he didn't find one, he looked at Matthew in the eyes. "Hey… This polar bear is real, right?" he asked, pointing his finger at Matthew.

Matthew's eye twitched and he swatted at Alfred's hand, his own merely going through, but Alfred lowered his hand nonetheless.

"He hasn't been around these days. He's just busy or something." Matthew said, turning towards the door of the first aid room. "Let's go. We aren't allowed to stay in the school after hours unless we are in a club."

Alfred nodded, following his brother, Arthur walking behind the two, giving them space.

* * *

><p>The two brothers chatted for a bit, Arthur soon joining in the conversations as they walked outside onto the school grounds. Alfred followed Arthur most of the way, since he still just couldn't navigate in the school. Maybe he should ask for a map...<p>

"So… Where are the rooms then?" Alfred asked, looking from left to right.

"Ah, well, since your room is next to mine Alfred, you're in the upper dorms. There is also the lower dorms and the normal dorms, but in my opinion, the upper dorms are best." Arthur said, walking forward a few steps.

Alfred followed, looking around. He still didn't see anything in particular that resembled a building.

They were outside, The sun was beginning to set and it cast an orange glow over the school grounds, turning the tops of the trees a light orange color as the cold wind blew.

The three boys were standing in a circular space, not too far from the school. The nearby trees from the forest had grown around the space and the ground was covered in large stones. At the center of the circle, there was a large stone pillar, but Alfred could see nothing else in the vicinity.

Alfred laughed as Arthur walked up to the pillar, knocking on it as though it was a door.

"Oi! You git, get over here unless you want to get flung off!" Arthur said, motioning to Alfred as Matthew floated over.

Still chuckling, Alfred walked over, standing with Arthur. "Hehe, any reason you're knocking on that stone Artie?" Alfred asked, unable to hide his giggling as Arthur did it again. Arthur looked a bit crazy doing that.

Arthur grumbled, ignoring Alfred's teasing and choosing instead to glare at the pillar. "Oi! Antonio you lazy git! What's keeping you! I know you're on watch duty!" Arthur yelled at the pillar.

Alfred laughed harder, Arthur was actually yelling at a stone! He was about to tease Arthur again when he jumped back in surprise.

"Si, si, Arthur, be patient. I was talking to my Lovi~" The pillar said. The voice was bright, and the person speaking seemed to be in high spirits.

"What the! Matthew! The- The pillar is talking! Am I going insane like Arthur?" Alfred cried out, pointing at the stone pillar. "W-wait! Is there another ghost here?" he said, his voice high with worry as he started to frantically look around.

Matthew shook his head, "No Al, you're not going insane… I hear the voice too, and there are no other ghosts here… Calm down Al! Now get back over here!"

This didn't really help pacify Alfred as he stopped running around the large circle and walked back to Matthew and Arthur, pointing at the pillar. "T-then we're both insane! We're as crazy as Arthur!" He was probably acting stupid, but not that anyone can see him. Besides, he was still afraid of ghosts after all.

Arthur had heard enough, he gave Alfred a good smack in the head. "You idiot! This is a communication pillar! ANTONIO is in the upper dorms and he is SUPPOSED to be paying attention and letting students inside…" Arthur said, putting emphasis on a few words.

"Oh…" Alfred stopped pointing, looking at the pillar. It had some odd symbols on it, but he saw a small hole. Perhaps that's where the voice came from? Was the school high tech or something? He walked up closer and put his face up to the hole, trying to find the wires.

"Ah, senor, can you please stop staring at the hole, your eyes are awfully large in the viewing pool. You're scaring my Lovi…:" A voice called, coming from below the hole.

Alfred jumped back, not expecting the voice and saw that there was a tiny speaker under the hole. So that must have been a camera?

Arthur sighed, "Antonio, just let us in, will you. I'm tired and I have to show this kid around before I can get some sleep…."

Alfred heard the voice laugh and then he heard a faint "Chigi" before the ground started to vibrate.

Jumping back, Alfred stood next to Arthur, trembling slightly. Knowing this school, something was probably going to come out and eat him! How can Arthur stand there so calmly!

To Alfred's surprise, the stones on the ground began to shift; the only thing that stayed stationary was the large stone the pillar was on. Alfred watched as slowly the stones raised and floated in the air, different stones going higher and higher until they disappeared in the clouds. Alfred watched in awe as the spaces between the stones gradually filled, attaching the stones together.

It all happened in a few short seconds, and now instead of an empty, circular space, there was a large spiral staircase, trailing upwards into the clouds.

"Alfred… Please let go of me…" Arthur said coughing as Alfred released his tight grip on Arthur's waist. He would forever deny that he had clung to Arthur and hidden behind the angel in fear. Heroes don't get scared of moving rocks. Then again, he was still getting used to this place, so it was fine to be a little scared. Or, that's what he was telling himself and his wounded pride.

"I'll see you guys up there, okay?" Matthew said, snickering and floating straight upwards.

"Huh? You're not walking with us Mattie?" Alfred asked, now standing a foot away from Arthur, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Matthew shook his head. "Nah, the walk up is tiring, and now that the force field over the upper dorm is gone, I find it easier just to float up."

Alfred tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Force field? Hey wait, what dorm? There's just stairs here! I don't see any building."

Arthur sighed, looking at Matthew. "Is your brother always this…slow?"

Matthew nodded sadly, though there was a smile on his face as Alfred loudly protested. He gave a short wave and began floating up. Ignoring Alfred's annoyed yelling at his brother, Arthur began walking up the stairs.

Not wanting to be left behind, Alfred ran after Arthur. "So, ya gonna explain to me where the upper dorm is and why we're walking up a large spiral staircase that's floating in the air?"

Arthur groaned. "You still haven't figured it out? Alfred, the upper dorms are called the upper dorms for a reason!"

Alfred still looked confused, but Arthur just pointed upwards. "The upper dorms aren't actually on the ground, they're UP there. They are situated on a floating piece of earth, about sixteen stories above the school."

Alfred's eyes widened. "Woah! That is so cool Artie! I get to stay there?" He asked, bouncing up and down with glee. Arthur was worried Alfred was going to trip and plummet down the stairs.

"Bloody hell, yes! You're staying there, now stop bouncing, I don't want to have to fly down and catch you if you slip."

Alfred stopped and continued walking up the stairs. "Heh, so you'd catch me, eh Artie~ Be my guardian angel?"

Arthur stopped for a moment, his face growing red. "What! Bloody hell, no! I just don't want a red stain on the ground! Oh for- Just keep walking!" the angel spluttered, his face showing emotions ranging from annoyed to embarrassed.

Alfred laughed, "I'm just joking Artie, calm down! Though, nice to know I've got a friend to watch my back~"

Arthur took a deep breath, glaring at Alfred. "Don't joke about that stuff, git…" He kept walking up the stairs. By now they must be at least ten stories high. Alfred could see a dark shape above him; it casted a large, round shadow on the steps. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. Stopping for a moment, he looked up, seeing a large mass of dirt? No, maybe rock? Well, whatever it was, it was dangling above their heads and Alfred couldn't help but feel that it might fall and crush them…

"So… If the upper dorm is in the sky… Then what about the lower dorm?" Alfred asked as they continued climbing up.

"The lower dorm is on the ground, but it also stretches down underground. It's made specifically for the demons, but other people are there too. Actually, in the upper dorm, its residents consist mostly of winger creatures or spirits. Ghosts too, but they don't really need to sleep, it's just a habit to them. The normal dorm is where the teachers are mostly, and a few of the larger students who wouldn't fit in the other dorms. It's found in the back of the school."

Alfred nodded, looking up and sighing in relief, glad to finally see the end of the seemingly never ending staircase. "Ugh, you'd need wings if you lived here…" he mumbled, finally reaching the top and stretching. He may be a vampire, but he figured even they have their limits…

"Yes, they are fairly handy sometimes." Arthur said, reaching the top and stretching as his feet hit sold ground. "Hmm… but…" Arthur mumbled something that Alfred missed.

Thinking it probably wasn't his business, Alfred instead looked up at the dorms. Ahead of him was a long pathway and at the end was a large building. It sort of resembled the school, but it was smaller and more rounded. Strangely enough, the path was made from stones, but around the path, there was a mixture of grass, trees and flowers. There were even a few hills too!

Alfred could see a few towers in the back, and watched as a few creatures flew into the windows of the tower. The walls of the dorm were made of a smooth stone that almost seemed like tile, while the entrance doors were made of wood. He could see many windows in the walls and vaguely wondered what the view was like from some of them.

By now, the sun was starting to disappear in the horizon, the sky darkening and turning a dark blue shade. There was a faint light that reflected off some of the windows in the building. Alfred stared in awe as he watched lights suddenly flicker on. Small lanterns, some which seemed to contain a bright fire and others with fireflies inside, were on each side of the path and helped guide any students to the entrance. There were lamps on the walls too; one large one hanging just above the entrance door. The smooth stones on the walls seemed to glow as the flickering light hit them. Even the plants seemed to glow from the light.

"Woah… Alfred said, his head craning back to see one of the towers. He was amazed that this could be suspended so high in the clouds…

"That's demon fire and fireflies in the lamps. The fire won't burn you if you touch it, but I'd advise you not to let the fireflies out." Arthur said, looking around for something.

"Hmm… so are all the lights here made from demon fire and fireflies?" Alfred asked, poking one of the lanterns and watching it swing on its stand.

Arthur shook his head, though Alfred was distracted and didn't notice. "No, it's a bit more modern inside. Hey, don't do that!"

Alfred looked up from the lantern he opened, his finger lingering in the flame. He could feel a warm sensation, but there was neither intense heat nor the pain of burning.

Arthur grumbled and shut the lantern door, tugging Alfred to his feet. "Before I show you around, I have to check something. Come on."

Alfred nodded, following Arthur as they headed left, away from the entrance. There was a tiny path that he hadn't noticed and he wondered where this went. It was a simple dirt path and trailed along the large row of trees that surrounded the edge of the Upper Dorm area.

"Where are we going, Artie?" Alfred asked, running after Arthur.

"To see someone… Someone who should be doing his job properly…" Arthur grumbled, walking faster along the dark path, Alfred following in suit.

Together they marched down the small path, Alfred looking around. There was nothing but a few trees and a couple of lanterns placed near the path. Soon though, the path ended and Alfred could see a little building in the distance. It looked a bit like one of those small tropical huts, complete with a round roof and one little window. The only difference was that this hut was made of stone and not bamboo.

They stopped in front of the door, Arthur knocking while Alfred stood a few feet away. As Alfred watched Arthur tap his foot on the ground impatiently, he suddenly jumped as he felt a hand touch his shoulder from behind him…

"Hey!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Faaaaiiilll! I fail! I'm so sorry readers! I forgot about updating… (;-; )<strong>

**I know, you have permission to send some scathing comments… (;A;)**

**Ah, well… Anyways, new chapter! It's… kind of lame, but at least it's something new. Now that the prophecy is out, I have to find a way to include more plot… OTL**

**I have a plan, but it will take another chapter or two for me to figure it out, therefore I'm being a poor writer and making a short distraction. Luckily, we still have more characters to meet, so it's okay. I think… At least the next chapter will introduce one more character, but there are still more~ **

**Nonetheless, I'm running out of pre-made chapters… I'll need to step up and start writing more frequently. The good thing is, I have almost finished Arthur's character story, which means I have a way of giving myself an extra week to write! Unfortunately, I can't toss it in for another chapter or so… Even worse, I will have to split Arthur's character story into two parts… The second will be released later as the main story goes on. *sigh* Fiddlesticks…**

**Character stories are hard work… So many characters, I've got most of them planned, but I keep worrying about each of them… Some plots are probably more interesting than others… They always end up so long too… I'll have to make them separate stories, but I'll let you know when it's released in my Author notes. If you haven't already seen it, Lovino and Feliciano's story is up. You'll find it in my written stories list on my profile.**

**Well, nonetheless, after a few more chapters, we will see some action~ I've also got a few pairings in mind that I can probably throw in. A good story isn't without a bit of romance I guess. It will at least add some drama! Ehe, but I've never written anything romantic… *this is after all, my first story!* but I'll try my best. **

**Long, Author's Note is long… Sorry. **

**Okay, so! Thank you to the reviewers! *passes you cookies* The new alert subscriptions too *passes you candy*. I feel happy when I get emails telling me I have reviews and new subscribers.**

**Reviews are appreciated! Flames will be used to destroy this Social Studies homework. Who in the bloody world assigns work then decides to add two extra pages to it the next day? I already spent four hours on those the day you assigned it! *rants and rages***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	16. Intro Arc: Chapter 16: Gatekeeper

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Hey!" A familiar voice called.<p>

Alfred took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. "F-Feliciano? Dude, don't do that! You can't sneak up on someone like that!" he said, spinning around and looking at the boy. Feliciano was smiling happily, clearly not knowing that he did something wrong.

"Ve~ Sorry Alfred. I just came to get my brother. He's with Antonio and was supposed to come back a while ago… I was getting worried!" Feliciano said, taking a step back from Alfred.

Alfred sighed, knowing there was no point getting angry. Feliciano was just saying "Hi" after all… Still, Alfred was a bit annoyed, more at himself for screaming like that… Heroes don't get scared!

Arthur sighed, still knocking on the door angrily. "You two, quit fooling around. Feliciano, Antonio isn't opening up, can you try?"

Feliciano nodded, running up to the door and knocking. "Fratello~ Let me in! You were supposed to meet me an hour ago! Are you okay?"

Alfred heard an angry voice sound from behind the door. "Chigi! Feliciano! Go away, I'm busy!"

Feliciano just tilted his head in confusion, knocking again. "Aw… Please Fratello? Oh, Antonio! Can't you let me in?"

Alfred heard another voice from inside, it was that light, carefree voice he heard from the stone pillar down below. He could detect a Spanish accent too, now that the voice was clearer. "Oh? Feli? Sure, I'll let you in! Hold on a moment…"

Alfred winced as he heard loud thumping, then something falling followed by a "Chigi!". There were more thumps, until a voice rang out from behind the door. "Ah, just push it open Feli, its unlocked."

Arthur growled as he pushed past Feliciano and stepped inside, Feliciano following suit as Alfred was the last to enter.

As Alfred entered, he heard Arthur groan and Feliciano laugh lightly. Looking around the little hut, there was nothing but a couple of chairs, a stand with a bunch of different buttons and a small water pool in the center of the room. Taking a few steps forward, curious as to what Arthur and Feliciano were looking at, he laughed too.

On the ground, tangled in a large mass of wires, was Lovino. He was with another boy, the one Alfred saw in gym class with his carefree expression and olive colored skin. Lovino looked up at the three boys, growling in embarrassment.

"C-Chigi! Look you idiot, now people will mock us for this! We'll never hear the end of it! This is your fault!" Lovino cried, struggling harder.

The other boy laughed, seeming unbothered by the arrival of the other three boys. "But Lovi! Why is it my fault? You were the one to lean forward and press the button! I didn't make you slip and fall behind here!"

Lovino's face flushed in the dim light. "Sh-shut up! You could have caught me instead of leaning forwards to help! You tripped to and got us tangled in these!"

The boy laughed, "Haha~ True, but just a moment before, you told me not to touch you, right Lovi?"

Alfred chuckled softly at the pair; they were quite entertaining to listen to. It seemed they got along well; friends maybe? He took a side glance at Arthur who seemed to have calmed down and was rubbing his temples in exasperation.

"Ve~ Antonio! Fratello! So that's what happened? Here, I'll help you out!" Feliciano said cheerfully, he hadn't held back his amused laughter at all.

"Oh, thank you Feli!"

"Chigi, no! Don't make it worse Feliciano!"

Too late though. Alfred watched as Feliciano descended upon the two boys, promptly getting stuck in the cords as well. At least he got Lovino's arm free, though it was currently smacking Feliciano's head in anger. Now all three boys were rolling on the ground, tangled together.

Arthur sighed, watching as the three boys lay there, his expression changing from frustrated, to amused and back again. "Come on Alfred, help me get these fools untangled."

Alfred nodded, going up to the boys and beginning to untangle them, being careful not to get stuck himself.

* * *

><p>Soon they were all untangled, the cords plugged back in properly. Now the once empty chairs were occupied, everyone sitting in a circle as Lovino and Antonio stretched out.<p>

"Hey thanks, mi amigos~ Who knows how long we would be stuck there if you hadn't come." Antonio said, rubbing his wrist. He looked up, peering at Alfred and looking him over.

"Oh, you're the boy who scared my Lovi, peeking into that camera hole!" Antonio said, Lovino huffing and denying such a fact. He wasn't scared at all and he was definitely not Antonio's Lovi…

Alfred nodded, "Heh, yeah, sorry about that. Oh, but you're the voice I heard from the talking pillar!"

Arthur groaned, placing a hand over his face. "Alfred, I told you, it's a communication pillar!"

"Si, that was me. You must have heard Lovi too!" Antonio said, hugging Lovino who gave the boy an elbow in the stomach. "My name's Antonio, but I suppose you would know by now. I like tomatoes!"

Alfred laughed at the simple introduction, "I'm Alfred, I like hamburgers~"

"It's nice to meet you Alfred. It seems you've already met Lovi and Feli, they're my close friends, among some others." Antonio said, holding out a hand for a casual shake.

Alfred took it, looking around the room. Now that the lights were fixed and cords were put back in. He looked curiously at the buttons and the water pool, wondering what they were for.

"This place is where the controls for the upper dorms are. Here you control the stairs, the surveillance and the security. It's kind of like a guard station. You look into the pool like a monitor screen, and then you use the buttons there to deactivate the force field and cloaking device and form the stairs, among other things." Arthur said, knowing Alfred was probably going to ask anyways.

"Si~ People in the upper dorms can volunteer for shifts. It's actually kind of fun doing it, especially if you have a friend with you." Antonio said as he put an arm around Lovi again, just to have another elbow in the gut.

"The person is supposed to help you Antonio, not distract you from your duties! That's why I came here, someone didn't turn the switch for the stairs fully up!" Arthur said, glaring at Antonio. "They are supposed to move so students DON'T have to walk all the way up them! Do you know how high it is?"

Antonio's expression changed to a slight frown, "Well I can't help that, I was tangled in wires during that time."

"Yes, but you're supposed to be the one flicking the switch! You volunteered to be today's gatekeeper! Are you just that lazy! Not to mention that Alfred is a new face! You're supposed to come out and do a proper check on any new faces. Honestly Antonio, take your job more seriously!" Arthur retorted.

Antonio sighed, Alfred could see that his rage was building, but the boy still seemed to keep his calm voice; though his smile was gone. "All right Arthur, I know. I was tangled up but I'm not anymore, so just drop it."

"Chigi! Yeah, quit bothering him, he was helping me, English bastard…" Lovino said, adding his two cents to the conversation.

Arthur frowned, but said nothing more as Antonio instantly brightened. "Why Lovi! You spoke up for me! How nice~"

Lovino frowned, his face tinting slightly as he looked away. "He was getting annoying! I wasn't doing it for you; and stop calling me Lovi!"

"Fusososo~ Awh Lovi, you're cute." Antonio said, smiling endearingly at Lovino.

Lovino flushed and promptly began to yell angrily at Antonio for embarrassing him in front of people while Feliciano, who had kept silent this whole time, hugged his brother. He claimed his brother needed more hug therapy to calm down.

At this point Arthur sighed, shaking his head "I got my point across I guess, let's get going Alfred."

Alfred nodded, smiling slightly at the sight of the three boys arguing. "All right Artie."

"Don't call me that Alfred." Arthur said, frowning as he walked towards the door.

"But I make nicknames for my friends, I can't help that. You gonna turn into a Lovino?" Alfred said slyly, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Oi! I heard that, vampire bastard! Shut it or I'll elbow you next!" Lovino's voice rang out from the little building as both Alfred and Arthur left.

Arthur shut the door, sighing. "Antonio is always getting distracted by Lovino. Tch, bloody idiots. If something happens, I'm blaming him."

Alfred walked beside Arthur on the path, back to the main dorm entrance. "You don't seem to get along with Antonio very well."

"I suppose so. We have our differences. That and we fought in the past. I got him back by tampering with his model of the Spanish armada after he destroyed my model of the British voyager ships…." Arthur said, snickering at the memory.

Alfred held back a laugh. It seemed so childish for Arthur, to do something like that. It was a bit cute actually. At least the angel was smiling.

"Right then, we wasted a long time there… I don't think I'm going to have time for a good rest. I might as well show you around the dorm a bit, before dinner." Arthur said, looking up at the sky. The stars were appearing in the night sky, the light from the sun almost gone as both boys stood outside. The lanterns flickered, casting moving shadows on the dim grounds.

"Cool~ Let's go!" Alfred said, excited to see more. "Oh hey, can I ask you what Antonio is? I know I can't assume he's normal, but…"

Arthur looked at Alfred, sighing. "Well… It's a touchy subject for him. He has his own past, and prefers people don't talk about it. Still, I suppose it's okay for me to say that, when the full moon comes out, you'll be able to tell."

Alfred tilted his head, confused. "Full moon?" He asked, looking up at the sky. The moon was almost full, probably another day or so at the most.

_What's the moon have to do with what Antonio is?_ Alfred wondered, _The only thing I know would be-_

"Oh…" Alfred said, understanding. "So Antonio is a-?"

Arthur nodded, "Not as dense as I thought you are. Yes, Antonio is a werewolf. He doesn't act like it though. He seems to have good control over his wolf personality. I guess because he has Lovino. They have a history."

"Wow… So he changes and stuff? Like in the movies?" Alfred asked, amazed.

"Yes, but it's far from cool, Alfred. He can't control what he does when he changes, and it varies how long he stays in that form. He has been working on exerting control, but I think without his friends, it would be difficult. No one knows much about him, except Lovino and Feliciano, who joined the school with him." Arthur said, sighing.

"Everyone in this school has a past; a story I suppose. There's a lot of history, both about the school and its students." Arthur mumbled, looking at the stars.

Alfred nodded, it made sense. He looked at Arthur, who seemed slightly distant as he looked up at the sky. "So then… What's your story Arthur?"

Arthur froze, looking at Alfred and shaking his head, "It's long… too long to explain now." Arthur whispered, rubbing his hands together nervously.

Alfred sighed, not pressing further. Clearly it was something Arthur didn't like to talk about. "Hey, I want to see the dorms Artie. You were gonna show me right?" he said, trying to change the subject.

Arthur stopped fidgeting, looking at Alfred. He snapped back, focusing his eyes on Alfred as he shook his head to clear his mind. "Huh? Oh, right. Well, come on then." He said, walking down the path to the entrance.

Alfred nodded, "Okay!" he said, running after Arthur.

"_Everyone in this school has a past; a story I suppose. There's a lot of history, both about the school and its students."_ Alfred sighed, he could understand that.

_Mattie would have one… _Alfred thought, remembering a few instances earlier when conversations seemed to point to something in the past… _Even Arthur has one… Feliciano and Lovino…_

Alfred stood at the dorm entrance, watching as Arthur knocked on the door, glaring at a hole in the wall.. He heard Arthur curse Antonio as they waited. "Bloody git, he controls the door too…"

_Well, I'll just work hard, so they can trust me too… Or at least Arthur. _Alfred decided, looking at the angel next to him. He didn't know why Arthur specifically, but it was someone to start with. Besides, it was like Arthur didn't trust a lot of people, what better way to help a friend than to be a good trusting one!

_That principal dude did say that friends were important… _Alfred thought as the door opened. Arthur stepped into the giant building, Alfred following behind slowly.

_It won't hurt to try… _Alfred thought, nodding to himself. _I can be Arthur's hero._

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><p><strong>Author's Note: *insert tears here* Ahaha, I'm so sorry readers! I haven't updated in ages… I had little time to write during the past while… School sure hates me… Forgive me! *tosses everyone forgiveness cookies* ( :-: )<strong>

**Ehe, I'm not sure about this chapter… Nothing very interesting, but you learn a bit about Antonio. Yay for crummy character development! I suppose you can at least see the hints of pairing here? Well, more will happen soon, I just need to get a bit more info out before real action can happen~ Ahaha… *cries at failure to write suitable chapters* (;w;)**

**Upon thinking over things though, I realize that the ending I had planned before, might not work well. Though, we have a very long ways to go before I reach the ending. I suppose I'll figure it out. Only problem is, if the ending doesn't work, I'll need to rethink the antagonist and a major point or two… *sighs* Stories seem to write themselves, I now realize. (=.=")**

**Well, still, I'll add one more chapter before I release Arthur's character story. It's really long… Also not exactly complete! I'll be adding another chapter to it later on. The reason it's going to be submitted later, is that *if you say Lovino and Feliciano's story* I tend to make things on a timeline, meaning a flashback or something happens during a point in the main story. So things are loosely connected. I like thinking of stories that are intertwined a bit. (^.^")**

**Anyways, long, author's note is long, but thanks for reading. I hope I haven't lost any readers, though I would understand why. (-.-")**

**Thanks for the reviews! The favorites, subscriptions, for just reading this long, slow moving story! I apologize again for the slow updates, but by June, when all the school tests are done and summer breaks starts, I'll definitely write more! (._.")**

**That said, I'd better do more of my online homework… I seem to work hard on things that aren't school related as of late… Bleah… I need to focus more… Someone get me a strict Angel Arthur to berate me into working! *Or help me with my English homework, hehehe… (w)***

**Reviews are appreciated, flames will be used to roast things~ Roast what, I don't know, but I'll figure it out! (_")**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	17. Intro Arc: Chapter 17: Lost

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Alfred and Arthur walked a fair distance, seeming to go straight through the dorms as they emerged into a large courtyard.<p>

"This is the back of the dorms, Alfred. You can see a lot from here, so it's good to get an idea of what's around us. Think of it as a backyard, or maybe a courtyard." Arthur said, stretching his wings as he spoke.

Alfred nodded, walking over to the edge and leaning forwards. There was a small metal rail that stretched on around the courtyard, prevent people from falling over. The view from the upper dorms was astounding. Taking a guess, he figured that the mountains were north; meaning the forest he could see spanned to the west and to south. With the sun down, he could see some faint lights to the west. To the east, there was only a vast expanse of black.

_Wonder what that is?_ Alfred though, staring East. It was too dark to make anything out, though Alfred thought he saw something like a tower?

"To the east is the ocean, Alfred. You can't see it now; it's too dark. It's beautiful in the morning though, especially on a clear day." Arthur said, noticing Alfred's gaze. He pointed to the glowing spot next, "Over there in the west is the closest city, there's another to the South, but it's a farther distance away. The forest spans in all four directions, though lately it's been cleared by the growing cities, so it's more to the South and West." Arthur said, pointing South, then West.

"Oh, then… to the north?" Alfred asked, looking at the mountains. There must be something cool there!

"To the north are mountains that stretch a fair distance. No one has really explored them; the principals forbid it." Arthur said, shrugging.

"Ah, okay. Why do they not allow people to explore it?" Alfred asked.

Arthur shrugged, "No idea. Though, I've heard various things about it. Still, they were only rumors, so I suspect there's simply nothing out there."

"Oh, it sounds kinda interesting to me though…" Alfred said, looking out towards the mountains. He wondered what was in there?

_Maybe they're hiding something cool!_ Alfred thought. He tended to do the opposite of what someone dais. If his parents said there was nothing in the closet, he would immediately sneak into the closet and discover his birthday present. He wondered if the mountains held a secret to?

"Oi! Alfred, don't you dare. I won't have you breaking rules on my watch!" Arthur said, snapping his fingers to get Alfred's attention.

Alfred pouted, "Geez, all right! You know, you should do yoga or something… Maybe then you can at least bend that stick up your- Ow!"

Arthur had given Alfred another hit over the head, his face red with anger. "Hey, I don't have to tell you these things; you can bloody figure them out yourself! I could let you get lost here, damn git! Now just stay quiet and pay attention for a moment, will you!"

Alfred nodded, rubbing his head. "Okay, sorry! I won't go there… I was just joking…" He mumbled. He was just trying to have a bit of fun…

"Anyways, the upper dorms rest on an actual piece of land; it's suspended by this crystal that's in the lower parts of the dorm." Arthur said, walking back into the building without waiting for Alfred.

"Woah! That's so cool~" Alfred said, running after Arthur. "Wait for me!"

Arthur stopped for a moment, looking behind. "Hurry up then!"

"Hey, show me the crystal sometime, okay!" Alfred said, catching up. Now they were walking down various hallways, turning every few steps.

The halls were made completely out of stone, but unlike the hallways at school, there were windows placed evenly throughout that area. Alfred could easily convince himself that he was in a medieval castle, if not for the electric lamps hanging from the ceiling and the sound of a television nearby.

"What? No, I can't do that Alfred, that area is restricted! If we remove the crystal, or tamper with it, this whole place will collapse! Plus, the size of this place isn't to be ignored, it's about half the size of the school, and that's saying a lot. Think about what the school below would look like under this thing!" Arthur said, turning the corner. "Just be happy to know about it. Not many people do."

"Awh, fine…" Alfred said, following Arthur through the hallways. He would just have to find it sometime. It's not like he wanted to play with it, he just wanted to see… Neither boy saying another word, Alfred continued to silently follow Arthur.

"Hey, where are we going, Artie?" Alfred asked as they walked, side stepping once and a while to let other students pass.

"I'm showing you the way to your room. It's next to mine, is it not." Arthur said, not looking back.

Alfred sighed, looking out one of the many windows in the hallway. About a foot apart, there would be a window, which Alfred would continually stop at. It was as though he was in the zoo, looking eagerly at each exhibit. Although, because the windows were so close together; not to mention the lack of light outside, there wasn't too much to see.

Still, Alfred found it interesting. Being so high up; it made him feel free. He had always loved high places, be it up a tree or on top of the playground monkey-bars. He felt entranced as he looked out one of the windows, peering down at the ground below. There were faint glows, probably from lanterns on the school grounds.

"Oi! Alfred! Stop stalling and hurry up! I'm only going to show the way once, so pay attention." Arthur said, standing a few meters away, tapping his foot in impatience.

"Oh, heh, sorry Artie!" Alfred called, running over.

"Stop calling me that!" Arthur huffed as he walked.

"Calling you what?"

"That… name. Artie. My name is Arthur." Arthur said, frowning as Alfred smiled.

"Awh, come on! I told you, I give nicknames to friends! It's a habit! Just ask Mattie; he'll tell you." Alfred said, chuckling.

"Well, I don't approve of it." Arthur said, "Now, pay attention to where I'm going, you have to be able to find your way around without needing a guide."

"Yeah, Yeah…" Alfred mumbled, now distracted as they passed a window. It was larger than the others he had seen, and judging from the tall shadows he could see, it was facing straight north, towards the mountains.

It was very interesting, looking at the tall mountains. He wondered why no one was allowed to go there. If he looked closely enough, he could actually see a faint glow somewhere near the summit of one of the mountains. Or at least he thought it was a light. It was so dim that it could easily be passed off as starlight, or perhaps a reflection on the window from one of the lights behind him.

_Man… So… this is my new life? Where I'll be until I leave in a week? _Alfred thought as he stared into the mountains. His head spun as reality hit him hard. _Just a while ago, I was walking home from school thinking about my grades. So much changes so fast…_

This… This really was his new life… He can't see his family again, or live normally anymore... Alfred realized with a start. He felt like crying now, though he knew the hallway wasn't the best place. He rubbed his eyes quickly, tearing his gaze from the window as he tried to fight back the oppressive sadness that seemed to be creeping up on him.

_Thinking about it won't help right now. I'll focus on that later… _Alfred thought, shaking his head to clear any remaining thoughts. Mabe hw could talk to Mattie about it. That might help. _Now then, where's Artie?_

Alfred took a look around, spinning on his heel as he tried to locate the angel. There was no one around, the angel seemed to have disappeared…

_He must have not noticed I stopped…_ Alfred thought, looking up and down the hallway for some indication where Arthur had gone.

Taking a guess, Alfred went down the hallway he last saw Arthur and turned left, walking a fair distance before taking a right. All of the hallways had looked exactly the same, though some of the doors in the hallways were decorated with various things. He didn't have a great sense of direction to begin with, and the more he walked the more confused he grew.

_Oh great… I think… I'm lost._ Alfred thought, seeing the large, north-facing window that he had started from. He had been walking in circles this whole time!

At this rate, if he couldn't find Arthur or get some help, he wasn't going anywhere…

_Uh oh… I think I might be a bit late for dinner_…

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>**すみません****! [Sumimasen – I'm Sorry!] I know, I suck at updating… Not to mention this chapter is so short! I've hit a block! *shakes fist in air* Darn you, writers block! *drops head on the table and sobs* I'm sorry if you were expecting something awesome… It's so hard to start on something exciting, since some things are a bit complicated, I need to explain one more things before action can happen. Hopefully the next chapter will cover it, and then I can re-intice people to read the story with action that follows…**

**Moving on, I have lots of news! Except each has both good and bad parts to it… Maybe I should start with good when explaining it? **

**Okay, well, first news is that I have got most of the plot planned from start to finish in this story! It's all written on a document, so it's a matter of following it. Or at least following it roughly. Bad news is, it's literally taking the entire prophecy and turning each verse into a short arc that focuses on certain characters and I have no idea how to execute that… For now I'll work with Alfred as he is the main character at the moment; plus technically the first piece is concerning him. Still, I might have to change the listing of the story and the POV with each arc and, and, and I don't know! *drops to the floor and rolls around in angst* All I know for now is that this story is gonna be a long story! I hope I don't get tired of it and quit on it or something… *biggest fear when writing* I'm consoling myself that I'll just need to follow the plot points I wrote and I won't be lost. (_)**

**Secondly, I'm happy to say that Arthur's character story is done. Or at least the first half… I just have to re-read t and edit it, and then I'll post it up in a separate story on my profile. I expect the editing will be done within this week. That said however, I'm afraid that the next chapter of this story will come out a week after that, or sometime around. These next couple of months before Summer Vacation, I really need to focus on school. I hope you all understand! (^_^;)**

**Thirdly, I have decided on a few pairings and I think they will be squeezed in as things go. I suppose you can see the potential USUK, probably can see Spamano, I think there will be a few others and I just hope no one hates the pairings… They're awfully mainstream I suppose… I will also need to bring in a random OC or two, they won't be too major, but they will make things move forwards. The story is still focused on Hetalia characters though! There's gonna be some friendships too… Altogether, I just hope people won't hate the choices I made. Some things have to happen just to make the arcs complete. *sighs and readies self, making a fort* Just in case! (o_o")**

**Okay! That's about it… Sorry it's so long, probably the same size as the chapter… Well, back to school work now… Bleah, I wanna be like Alfred… Slack off and not do it… But then even he would get it done eventually. (-.-")**

**Thank you to all reviewers and new alerts! Farfetched Fairy Thanks for the 50th Review~ *gives you thank you cupcake* Ahaha, I've recieved 49 more reviews than I expected when I made this story... (;w;) I wonder If I should be making special request stories for that... Maybe if I reach 10 reviews I will? I doubt it will get that high, but lets aim for one more review! *waves arms in air* Whee~**

**Reviews are nice; flames will be used to… Um… To… *is running out of uses* Well, I'll use them to make my tea! My thinking tea; to get my brain back to work. **

**Happy Mothers Day~**

**~SERF  
>(SoulEaterRomanceFan)<strong>


	18. Intro Arc: Chapter 18: Toris

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>After wandering around another ten minutes, Alfred admitted defeat. He was completely lost in this place. He had reasoned that if he wandered around a bit, then maybe someone would see him and he would get some help. Thus, he had been walking through the halls for almost a half-an-hour, hoping for some luck.<p>

After taking a few more turns down the newest hallway he found, or maybe just one that he had already gone though, he heard a voice nearby. It sounded like it was coming from one of the rooms.

Alfred leaned against the wall next to a door, hoping maybe the person would come out and help him. If anything, maybe he could just knock and ask? It was his best bet after all… As he stood there, he could hear a little bit of the conversation.

"No, nothing. You're sure? Ah, yes… I know… I'll try soon…"

_Huh? _Alfred wondered as he craned his neck, straining his ears as he tried to hear more. It sounded like it was a secret conversation. Maybe it was just some girl talk, but his sense of curiosity got the better of him as he leaned his head against the door, hoping to hear more.

"Yes, I know. Don't touch it, only examine. I won't…"

_Touch what?_ Alfred thought, jumping as the door opened. He tried to regain his posture as he backed up from the door. Looking around the hallway, he tried to feign confusion. He was indeed confused, but more about what was discussed in the room than his directional situation.

"Hm? Oh, hello." A voice said. Alfred stopped, looking at the speaker.

The boy who just walked out of the room looked normal to him, though in this school there was probably something off… The boy was wearing a simple casual ensemble, a vest and shirt with some plain beige pants while his brown hair was in a sort of ponytail. His green eyes were looking at Alfred curiously.

"Oh, Hi!" Alfred said, faking an expression of surprise and relief. He hoped he was a good actor, as this boy seemed kind of, sharp.

The boy smiled back, clearly not suspecting anything as he took in Alfred's lost expression. "Um, if you don't mind me saying, you look lost? Do you need some help?"

Alfred sighed in relief, glad the boy didn't suspect anything. He must have been very trusting or something… "Heh, yeah…. I guess I got a little lost. Uh, split from my group, so-to-speak?" he said in a questioning tone. He didn't want to say that he got left behind because he spaced out, that would be embarrassing! Getting lost is certainly something a hero wouldn't do!

The boy nodded, thinking Alfred's sigh was in relief at finding help, not for successfully deceiving him. "That's okay. It's a little late, but we can still make it to the dining room for dinner, unless that's where you came from?"

Alfred felt his stomach rumble, wandering around the dorm room had worked up an appetite. "Ah, no I haven't been there yet."

The boy nodded, "No problem. Ah, by the way, my name is Toris. Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before."

Alfred nodded, "Yeah, I'm a new student. Well… Temporary student, but the names Alfred." He held out his hand to shake, glad when the boy offered his hand in response.

" I see." Toris said, taking another look at Alfred. "Say, you're a vampire, right?"

Alfred nodded enthusiastically, impressed that the boy could deduce that even though they just met. "Yeah! How can you tell?"

"Hmm, I can't. I just took a guess. Also, I heard that there was a new student who was causing a bit of trouble in today's gym class. Word gets around pretty fast here." Toris replied, walking up to some large doors and opening it, stepping inside the room as he held the door open for Alfred to follow.

"Hey, uh, thanks again." Alfred said sheepishly as they stepped into the large room. Really, it was more like a large, long hall than a room. To Alfred it seemed like it was at least half a football field long, maybe more. The ceiling was high, at least two stories, with a giant stained glass window at the far end; the colors glowing in the dim light. A long wooden table stretched a few feet from the entrance as wooden chairs lined the edges. The smell of food floated through the air as the large chandelier overhead flickered gently; almost in time with the candle lights at the sides of the walls.

Alfred couldn't help but tilt his head upwards at the elegant red walls, drinking in the sight of such a large place. How did all of this fit in the building he saw outside!

"Heh, it's really stunning isn't it? You have the same expression I had when I came here." Toris said, standing next to Alfred.

Alfred nearly jumped and cried out in surprise. He almost forgot about Toris! "Oh! Yeah! It's amazing; the candles make it seem medieval." Alfred said. He was eyeing the left wall, where a short line was formed. It looked like a cafeteria line, just like his old school. An opening in the wall provided some cafeteria workers to serve the hot food while the shelves surrounding the opening held cold foods. "So, this is where everyone eats?"

"Oh, the candles? That's actually temporary, in the day time, they use normal electric lights and you just can't see them in this dim light. As for eating here, it is true that people do eat here, but only the ones who actually stay in the upper dorms." Toris said, his eyes scanning the room as though looking for someone.

"Oh, really? Interesting... Oh, uh, are you looking for someone?" Alfred asked, noticing Toris's wandering gaze.

"Oh, yes... My friend. He must have finished eating already... Oh well." Toris mumbled, sighing and looking at Alfred. "Ah, so, are you hungry? You can go ahead and line up! O-Or maybe you're looking for someone too?"

Alfred thought for a moment, he was pretty hungry, but maybe he should look for Arthur first... After all, it was the responsible thing to do, right? Arthur would surely be happy he did the responsible thing.

"It looks like they're serving hamburgers today."

_Never mind! Food first! Arthur was a patient guy, right? _Alfred thought, spinning around looking at Toris eagerly. _After all, angels are all about the patience and happiness?_

"Ah, maybe I'll get some food first... Oh but, I don't actually have any money..." Alfred said, just realizing this sad fact. Hmm, well, he did have some change from the floral shop, but it wouldn't last him a week…

"Money? Oh, you don't need that here. Not unless you're on a Food Run or getting something from the school store." Toris said, walking with Alfred to the line.

"Eh? Really?" Alfred said, looking at Toris momentarily. He wondered what a Food Run was, but had a much more important question than that. "What if people just keep eating the food then? You know, come back for seconds?" Alfred asked, wondering about his chances at seconds for hamburgers.

"Oh, seconds are fine!" Toris said, chuckling at Alfred's question. "I sometimes get some. It's only if someone goes crazy and comes back for say, fourths. Then the monitors start to draw the line."

"Oh, okay. Heh, then I won't hesitate to grab another burger!" Alfred said enthusiastically, taking a tray and waiting for his burger. The smell was getting to him and he was feeling completely ravenous. As soon as he received his food, he made a beeline for the table, grabbing a chair and plopping down on it. He waved Toris over, hoping the boy might sit with him, and smiled as Toris began to walk over to him.

"Hungry then?" Toris asked, sitting down next to Alfred. He had taken a green salad and Alferd felt like scoffing. Salads were pansy food! Hamburgers had meat in them, making him a strong boy, ready to be a hero at a moment's notice.

"Starved!" Alfred said, nodding and picking up his burger. It smelled great and made his mouth water, the thought of meat making him salivate. Maybe it's vampire nature to want meat? Then again, he had always loved hamburgers. As he was about to take a bite, someone called out to him.

"ALFRED! Where have you been?"

Sighing, Alfred placed the burger down on the plate, disappointed that he didn't get to take a bite…

_Tch, at this rate, I'll never eat,_ Alfred thought as he spun around, groaning in protest, only to be greeted by a fist flying towards his face.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Uwah, two weeks and no updates! This chapter is lame too! What a poor cut off! Geh! I will really have to work to make the next chapters fun. I know the next chapter or two is going to be at least taking place at night… Then the chapters will be fun. I look forward to writing them when I have more time. (A)<strong>

**I just wanted to make sure people knew I wasn't dead… School is really piling up. I don't expect I can update until the end of June at least. I have to start studying for the year-end exams… I'm so sorry! (;A;) *feels terrible* **

**I'm so poor at updating, and I promise I'll work hard on the story! Worry not! **

**For forgiveness, maybe take some time to read Arthur's character story, Fallen Angel. It's now on my published stories list. Too bad its two parts… The other will be released as this story progresses. I'm at least glad I have things planned out so I can't run into writers block. I think…**

**Ah, thanks to new alerts, and reviews and everything else. Please forgive this Author for being a poor updater; as well as this lame, short chapter. She promises it will be better soon! *gives cookies and cupcakes out to you readers***

**Reviews are appreciated; though with this news, she doesn't expect many. Or any. Still, thanks for the review if you do! Flames are understandable at this point but will still end up being used as fuel for the stove. I'll make some soup… soup makes people think! Or maybe it just helps with colds…**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	19. Intro Arc: Chapter 19: Dinner

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Alfred raised his arms, trying to defend himself, but was surprised when it was only one punch and pretty soft at that… He wondered why it was so soft, after all-<p>

"Oh, hey Artie! Where did you go? You left me at that window!" Alfred said, knowing the angel was completely furious at him, judging by his expression of course.

"What do you mean, where did I go! I take a few steps and turn around; then you're gone! I was starting to think I needed to contact the office to send out a search party!" Arthur said, glaring and pretty much yelling directly in Alfred's face.

"Huh? Were you worried about me Artie?" Alfred asked, a smile forming at the corner of his lips.

Arthur stopped, his face turning pink. "What! No, I was not! I told Principal Roma I would guide you and that's it! You're certainly not making my job any easier though!"

Alfred snickered, "Hey, I can't help that. I'm a new student. I can totally see worry in your eyes Artie! Maybe you shouldn't be so close if you're gonna lie."

Arthur's face changed from pink to red in an instant as he realized how close he was to Alfred. Taking a step back, he glared at Alfred, clearly not amused at all.

"Can I eat now Artie, or are you gonna keep yelling at me?" Alfred asked, eyeing his food. He laughed as the angel's eye twitched with anger.

"Oh, just forget it!" Arthur said, about to angrily turn around. The cocky vampire could find his own way around if he was going to be so smug…

"Artie? Is that a nickname for you, Arthur?" Toris asked, looking up from his salad. He had been watching the two talk as he quietly nibbled.

Arthur stopped in mid-turn. He didn't notice Toris there. "A-ah, no! It's just a-"

"It's a nickname I made for him!" Alfred said cheerfully, picking up the burger and looking at it hungrily. "I d'n't t'nk h' l'k's 't."

"Alfred! Swallow before you talk!" Arthur said, taking a seat between Alfred and Toris. It would be rude of him to leave now; especially in front of Toris.

"Haha, Artie, huh? It's an interesting name." Toris said, smiling as her watched the angel recoil in disgust when Alfred tried to tell Arthur to stop being such a stuffy man.

"Hey, so you guys know each other?" Alfred asked, swallowing his food and looking at the two with curiosity in his eyes.

"Yes, we went on a few Food Runs together." Arthur said.

"W'ts a Food R'n?" Alfred asked, taking another bite of his food..

Arthur frowned at Alfred's manners, recoiling once again as food went flying from the boys mouth as he spoke. "You git! What did I just say!" he scolded, folding his arms over his chest, the feathers on his wings ruffling in annoyance.

Alfred quickly shut his mouth, swallowing his burger. "Geez Artie… You're kinda prudish… I said, what's a Food Run?"

"A Food Run is just what we call trips to the nearby towns to pick up food. The school has a lot of students, each need sustenance and so we go in separate groups to get it." Toris said, leaning forward to look at Alfred and cutting off the angels angry remark.

"Huh? Why can't you just go in a single group and buy the food from one place?" Alfred asked, noisily sipping his drink. It was a plain Coke, but it was one of his favorite sodas. He was glad to see it in the drink dispenser.

"Well, consider how many students there are in the Upper Dorms alone." Arthur said, trying to calm down and speak above the loud slurping. "Not only would the store immediately lose all of its stock, but they would be suspicious too. They would have a lot of questions, like where are we taking the food and how. No humans know about the school, so it would be hard to explain."

"Oh, I see. That makes sense. But wouldn't the staff question you anyways? You've, you know, got..." Alfred pointed at Arthur's wings.

"For one, I wear a long coat Alfred, and for two, they're called wings. Even you should have that word in your limited vocabulary." Arthur said, his face in a scowl as Alfred snickered and gave a wing a poke.

"Hey, I was just trying not to offend you Artie, don't get your wings in a bunch." Alfred said, raising his hands in defense.

"Ah, well, that is true Alfred-" Toris said, leaning forwards to get the boys attention and prevent a fight. "-but, specific people are chosen to go. The ones who either look normal, such as Antonio or myself, or he ones who's, well, oddities-" Toris muttered, shrinking back at the look Arthur gave him. "-are easily covered. People like Kiku or Ludwig can't go for fairly obvious reasons, but the school manages okay. It helps when the students picked are in good physical condition, or have super strength or speed."

Alfred nodded, eating his second burger. He was fairly focused on how delicious the food was, but he managed to keep his attention on Toris nonetheless.

"I get it! So that's a Food Run. It sounds kinda fun." Alfred said. Hesitantly taking another bite as Arthur glared at him, seeming to dare him to talk while eating.

Toris nodded, not noticing the not-so-friendly exchange. "Yes. It is kind of fun. That and its one of the few times students can leave the school."

"Geez, the way you talk about it, it makes it seem like you're prisoners here…" Alfred said, sighing.

"Well, you can leave. Most people here just don't want to; for different reasons too…" Toris said, shaking his head. "The main reason, like Arthur's is that we just don't have an-"

"Thanks Toris!" Arthur called, slamming his hands on the table. Abruptly and stiffly, the angel stood up, grabbing Alfred's arm. "Well, I'm dreadfully tired Toris, Alfred here needs some sleep too! I'll see you later okay!" Arthur called, dragging Alfred away.

Toris looked confused but nodded and waved at the two boys. "Ah, okay! It's okay Arthur. I need to find Feliks anyways."

Arthur gave a quick nod as Alfred just looked confused, wondering where the angel got such a sudden burst of strength. His grip was like a vice! He could only let himself be dragged away by Arthur, stumbling behind.

As the Dining Hall doors closed, Alfred and Arthur emerging from the large room, Alfred was extremely confused. What caused the quiet angel to suddenly speak out and interrupt Toris? Wasn't he supposed to be the well-mannered gentleman? It was only as Arthur slowed down enough for Alfred to regain proper footing that he realized something horrible!

"Hey wait! I never got dessert!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

**(Q_Q) **

**What am I doing? I have tests this week and I'm writing a chapter? It's not even a good one, as again, nothing exciting happened! Well, Alfred missed dessert… Arthur's acting silly and stuff… but nothing exciting… (._.)**

**Ugh, I swear, now that that bit of information is out, I can finally begin the buildup of action! I'm sorry everyone, I know it's seriously stretching things… I think you probably have an idea what's going to happen in the next few chapters. Then again, I did just make another chapter… But it also doesn't have much excitement… Just nostalgia… I'll release it soon… *sighs***

**Geez, someone yell at me to get a move on with plot! I suck! *facepalms* Anyways, this is just to say I'm not dead (;w;) *just mentally dead* and I'm still working. Just two more weeks and I'm free to write!**

**! I know it's an over-used promise, but there will be action! (I have a feeling the action will be unexciting as with all these promises, the expectations for something amazing to happen grow… At this rate, people would be expecting atomic bombs and miraculous survival…) Next chapter will be longer! I'll force myself to make it longer!**

**Thanks to the reviewers! And the fave's and the immense patience! *bows to you all gratefully and passes out giant cookies.* Also to those who have read Arthur's Character story "Fallen Angel" which I know needs work… *will have to edit that soon***

**Reviews are welcome! Flames are gonna fuel my drive to study! *When put that way, it sounds like I need some flames…* Meh, either way, it's something.**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	20. Intro Arc: Chapter 20: Homesick

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Hey slow down Artie!" Alfred called, running after the angel. When he finally caught up, Alfred grabbed his arm, trying to make Arthur stop. "What's wrong!"<p>

Arthur spun around, his eyes betraying his pain despite the cold frown on his face. "Nothing, I just wanted to go."

Alfred didn't believe it for one second and made sure to tell the stubborn boy. "Like hell you did Arthur. What's wrong? Why did you suddenly jump up when Toris started to talk about you?"

". . . I just don't like people talking about my personal… problems. Toris shouldn't have brought me into the conversation" Arthur muttered.

"What was it he could have said? I didn't see anything wrong with-"

"Look we're here." Arthur said, stopping abruptly. Alfred looked over, noticing they were in yet another hallway. This one however was small, with pale walls and a single window at the far end with only had a few doors on each side.

Arthur pointed to the farthest door, at the end of the hall on the left. "That room is yours, the one with the-"

"Pfth, Artie, you have a little stuffed unicorn hanging from your door?" Alfred blurted out, laughing as he held his sides. He had been listening until his eyes wandered to a door next to the one Arthur pointed out. Hanging from the middle of the door was a small, white unicorn plushie with a silver mane.

Frowning, Arthur smacked Alfred, "Shut up! Students can do anything with their rooms and since this place is fairly unoccupied I thought it looked suitable there! I can see you're too childish for me to leave it up however!"

Alfred did his best to compose himself, still snickering. "Heh, no, it's fine there."

Arthur wasn't convinced, but said nothing more on the matter. Just wanting to head to his room and sleep. Alfred was a real handful. "Do you still have your key Alfred?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Hm, yeah! Its right here!" Alfred replied, pulling out his key and showing it to Arthur. "See!"

Arthur nodded, "Well I suppose you're at least somewhat responsible. Still, I can't help but feel I forgot something..."

Alfred shrugged, "If it's about the dorms, you can just show me later." he said with a yawn, "The hero needs sleep."

Arthur frowned, not in anger but in concentration. "Hmm, well I suppose so." he said, taking out a key of his own. "By the way, the there are four others who live in this hallway. Over there-" He pointed to the opposite wall with two doors. One seemed to have a faint smell of roses while the other smelled like tomatoes..."-is where Francis and Antonio are. Around the corner are Feliciano and Lovino, then if you went to the main hallway and straight across, you'll find Kiku and Yao."

Alfred nodded, making a mental map. "Hey, but then where are Ludwig, Gilbert and Ivan?"

Arthur motioned downwards, "They're in the lower dorms. As demons, Ludwig and Gilbert prefer the earth. Ivan just likes the dark I think." He said, shrugging.

"Oh, okay!" Alfred said, "Uh, pleasant dreams!"

Arthur opened his door and entered, giving Alfred a curt nod as the door closed shut a moment later. Alfred then took a second and stretched in the hallway before putting the key in the lock, opening the door to his new room and stepping inside. He closed the door with a push of his hand, wincing as it made a loud sound. He forgot he was stronger now...

Sighing, Alfred took a look at the room. It was fairly plain, a desk with a light in one far corner and a made-up bed in another. There were some drawers for clothing and a small bookshelf near the back of the room. Really, it made Alfred think he was trapped in a small box, if not for the large window. It was right across from where he entered; meaning when he entered the first thing he did was walk directly towards the window and push it open. He had a nice view of the mountains, where once again, he thought he saw a flickering light...

"Wonder what that is..." Alfred mumbled; leaning on the window sill as the wind blew his hair around his face.

"What, what is?" a soft voice called from behind him.

Alfred jumped, crying out in surprise and hitting his head on the open window. "Eyagh!"

"Calm down Al, you'll wake the whole building!" the voice replied.

Alfred's heart beat fast as he took a few calming breaths. He recognized that voice!

"Mattie! Don't scare me like that..." Alfred said, spinning around and looking at his brother. Matthew lay on the bed, looking comfortable.

"Sorry Al, but you scared me, walking into my room just like that." Matthew said; sighing at his brothers panicked face. Surely his brother would be used to this by now…

"Huh? Your room? But this is my room!" Alfred said, confused. It was his room, right? He even had a key to get in.

"What? This is my room, I've been here since I came. In fact, why do you have a key here Al?" Matthew asked, staring at the key in Alfred's hand.

"Principal Roma gave it to me after he assigned this room to me. Ask Arthur, he was there!" Alfred replied, wondering if maybe he had a skeleton key and could get into any room. Maybe he can scare Arthur later~

Matthew groaned, having figured out the problem instantly. "He forgot..."

"Huh?"

"Principal Roma forgot I had this room. I don't need a key since I can just go through the walls, so he kept it. He forgot I was staying here and thought it was empty since the key was there..." Matthew sighed sadly. Once again he was easily forgotten...

"Oh..." Alfred mumbled, noticing his brother's sad expression.

_Mattie has often been forgotten... I suppose it's not much different here_? Alfred thought, walking over and dropping on the bed with a soft thump.

"Well... I guess I can talk to the principal about it? I'm sure there's another room I can go in, eh?" Matthew said. Being the polite one, he ignored how he had the room fist and offered to leave.

Alfred quickly shook his head. "What, no! Don't do that Mattie! I mean, I should go, right? You had the place first. A hero has to make some sacrifices sometimes."

The twins sighed, both leaning back on the bed. Each boy had many things on the mind as they lay there for a short while.

"Hey Mattie, how can you sit on chairs and lie on beds if you're a ghost?" Alfred asked, turning his head to look at his ghostly white brother. Light wisps of white smoke seemed to fly off Matthew's body, floating up and disappearing.

Matthew shrugged, "I'm not sure. Most of the time I can walk through them, but if I want to sit on something or lie on it, I just don't seem to fall through."

"Huh... Weird. Maybe you just think too lightly?" Alfred teased.

Matthew snickered, "Then you definitely think too heavily; considering you have hamburgers on your mind all the time."

Alfred frowned, "Actually, I was thinking of desert, not hamburgers. I already ate some at dinner but Arthur tugged me out of the dining hall before I could get any desert. I saw cake..."

Matthew laughed, "Haha, well then I stand corrected. Your thoughts of food are heavy enough without hamburgers!"

Alfred pouted, though his face change into a smile a moment later. "Heh, fine. You win this one, maple boy." he said, using a nickname he came up for Matthew. He made it up when he first learned of his brother's love for the sticky syrup.

"Haha, maybe next time Boy Wonder." Matthew replied, using his own nickname he made for Alfred. That is, it was a nickname Alfred made for himself that no one would call him. They said it was silly but Matthew thought it was fun, thus he began to use it.

Again, the twins sighed, both thinking of the past and how they missed this during the year they were apart. As close brothers and good friends, they felt like the other was a puzzle piece that only they could fit together.

"Hey Al... Can I tell you something?" Matthew asked, looking at his brother.

"Hm, what is it?" Alfred asked, shuffling up the bed and placing his head on one of the pillows next to Matthew.

Matthew looked at Alfred, who eyelids were drooping. He was only half awake, the long, exciting day taking its toll on him.

Matthew sighed, not making eye contact. He suspected Alfred wouldn't properly listen being as tired as he was now. "It's nothing Al, just... You should probably brush your teeth before you sleep."

Alfred snorted, "You sound like mom, Mattie." he said, shutting his eyes. He didn't feel like getting up, though he wondered what Matthew was going to say before. Maybe he would tell him later.

Matthew frowned, sitting up and glaring at his brother. "Hey, no sleeping. Get up and do it!" he said sternly. His soft voice didn't do much for his serious tone.

"But I don't want to!" Alfred whined, opening one eye and looking at Matthew.

Matthew continued to glare at Alfred. "If I could, I would drag you out of bed and push you to the washroom Al." he said, sighing and pointing to a toothbrush on the table. "Use that, they brought it today and until now I didn't know why."

Alfred grimaced, mostly at the fact that he had to get up and walk again, but also that he was reminded that his brother was so easily forgotten, even when someone came to drop the object off. He would definitely let the Principals know, so the mistake wouldn't happen again.

"Fine... You're so stubborn sometimes Mattie." Alfred said, sitting up and taking the toothbrush. "Erh, where's-"

"Go around the corner past Feliciano and Lovino's rooms. It's the blue door." Matthew called, laying on the bed and rolling to face the wall.

Sighing, Alfred grabbed the toothbrush, opening the door and stepping out of the room.

_Humph, Mattie is such a mom._ Alfred thought, walking slowly down the hallway. _Wonder if that means I'm like a dad?_

At the thought of his parents, Alfred stopped in his tracks, the sudden thoughts hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"Mom and Dad... I wonder how they are doing?" Alfred muttered, looking down. He remembered seeing them earlier that day, in that strange vision he had.

Alfred remembered how they said he had gone missing. How they both cried for him, and how his mother was in a state of depression, just because of his absence... It was like he pulled a Matthew on them, disappearing from their lives and on the same day no less...

For a moment, Alfred's legs felt weak as reality crashed upon him. He leaned against a wall, trying to remedy his thoughts, holding his emotions in as waves of sadness and pain crashed over him. "I-I...I'm sorry..." he mumbled.

It was then he felt something poking him, right where his pocket was. It was getting annoying and reluctantly he reached to grab it. His eyes widened in surprise when he realized what it was.

It was the note his parents left him when he came home that day. Alfred had never looked at it, as the events that followed seemed to push the notes existence to the back of his mind...

Not wanting to read it here of all places, Alfred hurried to the bathroom. He would brush his teeth and then read it in his; hat is, Matthew's room. On his way, he heard a thump and a shuffle, making him stop and look in the direction for the source.

"Eh? Lovino?" Alfred called, seeing the auburn haired boy in the middle of the hallway. He yelped in surprise as Lovino spun around, a vase suddenly flying towards him.

Alfred managed to catch the flying object, taking note of Lovino's shocked face. Maybe he shouldn't have called out the boy's name so loudly.

"Ah, hi Alfred." Lovino said, not looking at him.

Lovino seemed a bit shaken. _A nightmare perhaps? _Alfred wondered, watching as the boy tried to compose himself.

"Where are you off to?"

"I... I'm just getting something... to... to drink!" Lovino said hastily, quickly hurrying down the hallway and disappearing from sight as he turned a corner.

"Must be nice to have free access to the Dining Hall at this time of night." Alfred mumbled. He would have to ask Lovino about it later. Then he can get some desert. Or even midnight snacks!

Shrugging at the winged-boy's hasty exit, Alfred pushed open the bathroom door, stepping inside. He stood in the bathroom, a toothbrush in his mouth as he looked at his reflection. He didn't actually look that different from before he was a vampire. Sure his eyes seemed a bit lighter and his skin was more paler, but his overall appearance seemed fairly normal.

_Probably a good thing,_ Alfred thought as he gargled with some water, spitting it out and rubbing his face with a cloth. _It means when I leave in a week, I'll blend in better with everyone else_. He stepped out of the washroom a moment later, heading back to the room. Yes, he just had to spend one short week here; then he would be free to leave.

When he got back, Alfred noticed Matthew had fallen asleep and quietly stepped over to the bed, gently pushing the blankets aside and lying down.

Being with his brother like this made Alfred feel like they were back at home. Nothing was wrong and they would wake in the morning and spend their Saturday playing video games or watching a movie.

Alfred sighed, deciding that now is as good a time as ever to get out his note. Matthew was giving out a dim glow, making it seem like his brother was one giant night-light. At least it made reading the note easier.

_Dearest Alfred,_

_Have you eaten a snack dear? There is leftover pasta in the fridge. Please eat something; we know you're always hungry when you come home from school._

_We know you're disappointed that we're not going to see Matthew and you have every right to be. It's our own weakness that prevents us from visiting him Alfred. To be honest, your mother and I are scared. Seeing one of our children and not the other; it's just something that takes us time to get accustomed to... _

_Your mother blames herself for Matthew you know… She believes that if she didn't refuse to give him a ride home, he wouldn't have had to walk. I blame myself too, for not insisting that he take the bus like I thought he should. I'm sure you have your own guilt too and yet; you're going where we are not... You've got this spirit that makes you strong. It's a drive that seems to take many forms, just as your brother always held a determination despite his quiet nature... We all miss him, and we love you... _

_We're sorry for being so weak, son... You mother says she loves you and will make you forgiveness hamburgers when you get home. I hope she makes her pancakes._

_Love and forgive us;_  
><em>Your Father and Mother.<em>

Alfred could feel the wet tears falling from his eyes as he tried to rub them away. It was to no avail as more continued to spill down and he found himself stifling a sob. Carefully, he folded the paper, placing it on the tiny nightstand next to the bed.

"What's there for me to forgive when I've only hurt them in return." Alfred mumbled.

"Hn? What was that Alfred?" Matthew's voice came from behind him.

Alfred rolled around, coming face to face with his brother. Matthew's eyes held worry in them as the brothers shared looks.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" Matthew asked, now fully awake as he saw shining trails of tears on Alfred's face.

Alfred tried to rub the tears away but they just kept coming and unable to stop them, he gave up, letting them fall silently. "I'm a really bad hero, Mattie. I really hurt them, just disappearing like this." he muttered.

Matthew looked at his brother sadly. "Al, you're not a bad hero. It's not your fault..." he said, trying to console his brother.

"But Mattie... I- I got this note, and it-"

"Come on Al, don't cry..." Matthew said, interrupting Alfred. He didn't think that would really help; having his brother talk about what made him sad. After all, he hadn't been sleeping at all, merely keeping his eyes shut, so he heard his brother open the paper. "Ugh, I really hate being a ghost. It means I have to watch you cry instead of being able to hug you..." he mumbled, wanting nothing more than to hug Alfred and tell him it was going to be okay.

Alfred frantically rubbed his eyes, not wanting to make Matthew sad too. He felt something fall over him, encasing him and making him feel a bit warmer as he opened his eyes to see Matthew moving the blankets on him.

"This will have to do." Matthew muttered, lying back down next to Alfred. Alfred sniffled, feeling like he was five years old again... He couldn't stop the feeling of wanting his mother and father.

"Thanks Mattie..." Alfred said, sighing and calming down, sniffling once more before rubbing his eyes again.

"It's okay..." Matthew said, sighing and staring at the ceiling.

"Hmm, I still wonder what Toris was going to say." Alfred mumbled, trying to change the subject by thinking about something else.

"Huh? Toris? Oh! You met Toris, Al?"

"Yeah. I got lost and found him. He showed me the way to the Dining Hall." Alfred replied, thankful his brother helped him slip into a different topic.

"Yeah. I don't know a lot about Toris. He came before I did, but he is a nice guy!" Matthew said, yawning and trying to keep his eyes open.

"Hey, you should go back to sleep Mattie..." Alfred said, not wanting to keep his brother up any longer.

"Nah, it's okay Al... I want to... Make sure you're okay..." Matthew said, nodding off for a second before snapping his eyes open.

"Haha, I'm fine. A hero can't cry at everything. Trust me, Mattie." Alfred said confidently. Though, he sounded a lot more confident than he actually felt, he didn't want to keep his brother up any longer.

Nodding, Matthew took Alfred's word, too tired to argue otherwise. "Okay... But if you want to, I'm here to talk."

Alfred nodded, "No problem! I know you are, and hey, same here, okay?" He said, smiling. Despite being the younger one of the two, Matthew always had a more mature air about himself when it came down to things.

The twins gave a simultaneous nod; they would always look out for each other.

Matthew shut his eyes, and within minutes, he was fast asleep, Alfred following suit a moment later.

A fog seemed to fill Alfred's mind as his drifted deeper and deeper into sleep. It was when Alfred awoke however, that he realized he was definitely not in the school dorm.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: (=7=)9 Ve~ <strong>

**I finally finished all of my exams! I'm sorry for the long delay in updates, but now I'll be updating more frequently! At least, I hope I will… I need to start typing more. On the bright side though, I am currently typing some of the action that I promised, so look forward to that in the next chapter or two! *feels accomplished* Ahaha, it only took… a bit more than twenty chapters to get things going! Just a note… Were still kind of… In the introductory arc of the story! *sobs, accomplished feeling dissipates***

**Well, I may be a touch slow; I was reading the first few chapters on my iPod... and wincing with each mistake I found... (=n=) *Will be fixing that ASAP* **

**Poor Alfred, he feels bad… *hugs Alfred* 'Cause Mattie can't hug you! (;n; )**

**I made this chapter long for celebration and as thanks for being ever so patient with me! You guys are the best! (\(;w;)/)**

**Thanks to all the reviews and alert subscriptions~ I'm always happy to have a new reader! **

**Reviews are welcome~ Flames will be put in storage, as with the coming of summer, I don't need any extra heat. I should probably get out the fan. We don't have any AC. (=n=)**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan) **


	21. Intro Arc: Chapter 21: Dreaming

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>As Alfred slowly opened his eyes; he knew instantly that he wasn't in the dorms. The atmosphere was thick and heavy as his vision was hindered by the strange fog surrounding him.<p>

"Where am I?" Alfred mumbled, looking to the left then to the right. There was nothing on either side and Alfred began to worry. Everywhere you looked, there was nothing, just white and fog…

"Hey! Is anyone there?" he called, receiving no response.

_What is this place?_Alfred wondered, taking a hesitant step forward. The fog was so thick; he could step right into a dark pit and not have noticed it.

"Leave him alone!" a voice called from somewhere in the fog. It was a young boy's voice, high and soft, but his hard determination was heard clearly. In surprise, Alfred spun around, looking for the source.

"Heh, that's for him to decide. In the end we have no say." a deeper voice called.

"No! Your influencing him!" the boy cried, clearly he was frustrated. "He doesn't have a choice if you do that!"

Alfred heard low growl, "Keep your mouth shut boy. We have a guest here. What's more, no one said I couldn't."

"But yo- ack!" the boys voice cut off as Alfred heard a loud sound. It sounded like a hard slap.

"Hey!" Alfred called out, not knowing where the voices were coming from. Whatever they were, the boy was definitely not happy. He still couldn't see anything, but he slowly looked towards the approximate location of the voices, hoping maybe he would find something.

"Heh, calm down. He just got disciplined. All young boys get disciplined here and there, right?" the low voice said, only this time the voice seemed almost... Persuading. Alfred couldn't help but slightly nod his head in agreement. His thoughts were clouding and his limbs felt heavy as he took an unintentional step forwards. It felt like his consciousness was shoved to the back of his head, and he was on autopilot.

"You see? No-"

"Stop!" the boys voice called out, snapping Alfred from his foggy trance. "Go away! Get out now!" the boy continued to cry. His voice was full of panic and sounded strained, as though he was trying to hold something back. "Go before he reaches you!"

Alfred heard another loud slap before he took a step back, turning and running in the opposite direction. Retreat wasn't something a hero would do, and he felt terrible leaving the boy behind. Still, those few seconds, when he felt like he had lost control of his body... It terrified Alfred.

_Get me out of here! Let me out!_ Alfred thought as he ran, _Get out! Get away!_

"Wake up!" The boy's voice called, though, it was almost a combination of two voices? "Wake up Alfred!"

Alfred instantly opened his eyes, sitting up with a jolt.

"Ack! Al, watch it!" a soft voice called out in surprise.

Alfred panted, feeling a drop of sweat slip down his forehead as he looked at Matthew. Or that is, through Matthew. He seemed to have sat up right as Matthew leaned forward to yell in his ear, causing him to be halfway stuck in Matthew. Boy did that sound weird…

"Al, are you okay?" Matthew asked, looking at his brother worriedly. Since last night, he had been stuck in his thoughts; Alfred was worrying him, especially when he woke him up with his whimpers… "You were tossing and whimpering in your sleep."

Alfred nodded, "I'm fine Mattie, just a nightmare." he replied, not wanting to worry his brother. Although, in reality, he felt pretty shaken from that experience. Carefully he moved his arms a bit, just to prove he still had control over his body.

"Okay..." Matthew replied, shaking his head; unbelieving. He knew that look on his brothers face. Something really scared him, but if he wouldn't tell Matthew, then there was a reason. Still, despite his passive nature, he felt tempted to press his brother into telling him. The fear in Alfred's eyes did nothing to pacify his growing worry.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be fine." Alfred replied, smiling slightly. "It was probably the extra hamburger or something..." he said.

Matthew sighed, nodding. Alfred would tell him if it was really important. He can trust his brother, right?

"Well, at least you're awake." Matthew said, floating off the bed. "It's about breakfast time. I slept in..."

"Haha, you slept in? My punctual brother actually slept in?" Alfred laughed, teasing his brother.

"Hey! I am perfectly able to sleep in. It's not like I make it a huge habit to be on time. I'm hu- fairly human too, eh?" Matthew said, stuttering on the last words.

A period of silence hung in the room, both boys looking at the floor as the light from the sun broke through the morning clouds, shining through the window and on to the ground between the brothers. Thankfully, Alfred broke the awkward silence quickly.

"You're right. You just make it a habit to be early~"

"Oh shut up..." Matthew said, frowning. The door suddenly swung open however, cutting off Alfred's cheeky response.

"Oi! Wake up you git! You missed breakfast! Don't you at least have a sense of time! I should get you an alarm clock!" Arthur yelled. Not knowing Alfred was up already, he had settled on the yelling-until-awake approach before his eyes rested on the two twins, both staring at the angel with mixtures of surprise and sadness.

Surprise for Matthew, because an angel yelling at you first thing in the morning after throwing your door open is quite a surprising event and sadness because Alfred realized that he missed the most important meal of the day...

"Awh man! I missed breakfast!" Alfred whined, his thoughts about his dream disappearing as all he could think of was the food he never got to eat.

"Yes you did! Now come on, I have to get you to your morning class before I can go to mine!" Arthur grumbled before noticing the floating ghost.

"Oh? Matthew? Sorry, I didn't see you. What are you doing in Alfred's room?" Arthur asked.

"B-but you looked right at me..." Matthew said softly. It was so quiet, Alfred, who was only a foot away from him, could barely hear it.

"Well, no matter. We have to get going." Arthur said, brushing it off. He was a punctual guy to say the least.

"Wait, but it's Saturday!" Alfred said, suddenly realizing this fact. "Why is there school on Saturday?"

"Because if there wasn't everyone would be bored out of their minds!" Arthur said, not feeling like elaborating as he tapped his foot. "Anyways, Matthew, you shouldn't be in another student's room. You can get in trouble." He said, walking out of the bedroom.

"Uh, Artie, this is Mattie's room..." Alfred said, following the angel.

"Al, lock the door..." Matthew said, sighing at his brother's forgetfulness as he too, followed the pair out into the hallway.

"Huh? Matthew's? Oh, that's right! Principal Roma had your key, so he must have thought your room was unoccupied!" Arthur said, watching as Alfred ran back into the room to get the key. "I suppose you should talk to the principals about that later."

Alfred nodded as he reappeared, locking the door. "I will." he replied, stretching and sighing. Thoughts of his dream flooded back into his mind and he couldn't shake a strange, lingering feeling of nervousness. Somehow, it felt like it was something more; something real...

_Oh well, I'll think about it later I guess... Maybe someone will be able to tell me about it?_Alfred thought as he followed the two students.

_"Why tell someone about it when it will only worry them?"_ a voice said, causing Alfred to stop in the middle of the hall._ "Don't tell anyone, you can figure it out on your own."_

The voice was strange, it sounded low, yet it sounded almost childish. It sent a shiver down Alfred's spine, yet somehow he could see its point.

_Maybe it's right..._ Alfred thought. _I already worried Mattie with last nights events. If I tell someone else, surely they will be bothered too. I'm a hero! I can solve this myself!_

"Al? What's wrong?" Matthew asked, his voice tugging Alfred back to reality.

Alfred hesitated, still unsure about it. This was his brother though. The trusted each other, and always told the other if something was really important… Maybe he should tell him.

_"You don't want to worry him anymore, right? He has enough to think about. You're a hero; you can handle it."_the voice said quickly.

With that, Alfred nodded slightly. It was true, Mattie had lots to think about already, and perhaps he was being a bit paranoid. After all, dreams are dreams, they can't hurt you. Looking at his brother, Alfred smiled.

"Nawh, nothing's wrong Mattie. I'm just hungry." Alfred replied, patting his stomach. It wasn't completely untrue.

"Oh! Well, maybe if you see Feliciano, you can ask him for food? He always has something with him." Matthew said, motioning for his brother to hurry up. Arthur was waiting at the entrance already.

"Yeah, sounds good!" Alfred replied, running after his brother.

_"Heh. Too easy..."_the voice chuckled softly. Alfred was too focused on catching up to Arthur to hear.

_"This will be fun."_

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><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>

**\(o7o)/ {One more chapter done! **

**(=7=)9 {Ve~ Yes, but not much happened again.**

**OTL {I know… But! The next chapter will have them on their way!**

**Sorry, this updates almost a week long, but I think I'll try to go back to my weekly updates, if it's possible… I really need to step up my writing… I'm quite excited actually. The next few chapters will have something fun at least. First they'll go - then they'll be - and then of course they'll - but after that there will be even more -!**

**Ehe, but I have to actually write it. I've said it a lot, but everything is planned~ *that's what keeps her motivated, she knows where it's going and she knows main events, she just has to write it in good detail* and not fail too much while doing so! \(070)/**

**Then again, some things weren't planned but they got in anyways. I wonder about that; I'll probably end up going everywhere, but the story will be told! I will finish this! *epic determination pose***

**Meh, lots to do aside from this though, but I will find a way to make sure writing gets done. Summer is the time when I can fully focus on this, I can't waste it!**

**Thanks to the one reviewer! It made me cry rainbows when I got a review. I thought everyone had given up on my story, but at least I know there's someone there still reading! *cries rainbows***

**Reviews are welcome~ Flames will be used to cook some tofu hotdogs and eggs! Or I'll give it to Italy to heat his pasta. Then again, do we really trust Italy with fire?**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	22. Intro Arc: Chapter 22: Training Class

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does!

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><p>Alfred groaned, the bell ringing above his head. Four classes each day; and weird monster classes at that… How would he last? He had jumped and screamed in surprise more than once that day.<p>

The subjects themselves were fairly normal; Math, science and gym for example. However, each class was taught by a different monster teacher, and each classmate was also a bit strange. Especially during science when a swamp monster sat next to him...

During math, he sat next to Matthew, and then in science he was sitting with Gilbert and Ludwig, the former having to be watched by the latter to prevent an explosion from happening. Gym was fun, and this time he didn't see that minotaur, Rock. Although, some students who were in the previous gym class stayed a few feet away as they remembered the weird blue energy from before, just like he did.

_That reminds me. I need to go ask Artie about it!_ Alfred thought, waiting in front of the gym for Arthur_. I forgot to last night.  
><em>  
>Alfred waved as the angel approached. It wasn't hard to miss the white-clothed angel in the dim hallways.<p>

"Hey Artie!" Alfred called out, causing those who heard the nickname to snicker.

"Oi, don't use that name here!" Arthur frowned, stopping in front of Alfred.

"Why not?"

"I have to retain an air of serious dignity! It won't be achieved if you spew silly names like that!" Arthur said disapprovingly.

"Awh fine..." Alfred said, sighing as they began to walk to the last class.

"Hey Arti- Arthur." Alfred began.

"Hm?"

"Uh, remember that blue glow thing in gym class yesterday?" Alfred asked, sneaking a side glance at the angel as he walked side by side.

"Yeah, what about it Alfred?" Arthur asked casually, only half listening as he turned a corner.

Hurrying after the Arthur, Alfred looked forwards down the hallway. "Well, I was meaning to ask you about it. People have told me I should be asking you or Mattie. Though, I'm not sure why."

Arthur sighed, "Right. I suppose I can explain while we walk."

Alfred nodded, his ears perking with interest. For once he had no intention to get distracted, wanting to know more about it.

"Well, for the most part. You can consider it a hidden ability I guess. Then again, some people have it naturally. For example, Yao is an earth spirit and has an ability to manipulate rocks and ground, but his ability is a lot stronger than most earth spirits. Same with Ludwig. He is a will-o-wisp demon and has fire abilities but they're much stronger than most of his kind." Arthur said simply. It seemed he was wel versed in this stuff.

"Oh, I see! So then vampires have a blue energy power thing!" Alfred concluded.

Arthur shook his head. "No, vampires don't have any abilities. They wouldn't need them if they have enhanced strength and speed, even vision. That's probably why some people are keeping their distance. They know it's not normal, but then again, they might be jealous. Sometimes having a power means you have a hidden potential. It's hard to figure out, but the fact is that you have one. It may have just, uh, awoken, when you changed?" Arthur added, not entirely sure why this boy would need an extra ability. The boy was enough trouble anyways. "I couldn't tell you Alfred."

Alfred nodded, before realizing something. "Hey, wait! So that's why they told me to ask you or Mattie? 'Cause you guys have abilities too?" Alfred asked, putting the pieces together.

"I suppose so, though they could have told you to talk to other people too..." Arthur mumbled, wincing as they entered the Demon wing of the school. It was partly from the dark energy in the wing, but also from the American boy's sudden excitement. It's not like he wanted to parade his power around.

"So then, what's your power Artie?" Alfred asked, poking Arthurs shoulder.

"Oi! Stop that you git!" Arthur said with gritted teeth, walking past the dark hallways and dim torches.

"C'mon Artie, show me!" Alfred whined, not noticing the angel's discomfort. "Please!"

Arthur groaned, "Fine! My god, you are really annoying sometimes..."

Alfred smiled triumphantly watching as Arthur stopped.

"I'm not doing anything special. I can manipulate light more or less. Or generate it. I don't know which." Arthur mumbled; opening his hand as a small white ball appeared. It began to grown and Arthur dropped his hand, the ball still floating gently, casting a bright light on the dimly lit hallways.

Alfred watched in amazement as he poked the ball, sending it floating down the hallway before it disappeared, seeming to dissolve away.

"Woah! That's so cool!" Alfred said, smiling at the angel. He was impressed.

Arthur looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed at the compliment. He wasn't used to such praise."Tch, it's nothing special… Now hurry up, we have to get to the next class. I said I was ordered to take you to your classes and I'm doing so. So let's get going."

"Okay! What is the next class, anyways?" Alfred asked, looking at Arthur.

"Well, since you have a power, you have to take the mandatory training class. It's going to help you keep it in check. You remember at gym; how it just happened? Taking the training class will help you control your power." Arthur said, pushing open some doors.

Inside was a giant room, only a few desks and chairs in one corner. The rest of the room was more like a giant field or park, with trees and flowing water. There was even a small pit of lava in the corner. Light shone down from above, the ceiling made completely out of glass as well as a couple of the walls. In fact, the only wall made of stone was the one that contained the door Alfred and Arthur just entered. It was like a giant green house, but actually pretty cool. Somehow, a gently breeze blew through the room.

"Woah, this place is huge! How do these things fit in the school…" Alfred said. It seemed that everywhere you looked there was a new and amazing sight.

"It's just the training room Alfred, it's not that special…" Arthur said, sighing and shaking his head at the boy's excitement. He was easily impressed…

"But it looks so cool Artie! How do they get these things to fit inside?" Alfred asked, touching a hanging plant. It was real too; yet looked almost tropical. How did they manage to grow these here?

Arthur shrugged, he didn't know. "I don't know, but hurry and sit down; class is starting."

Nodding, Alfred followed Arthur to the desks, sitting next to him as Arthur gave him a displeased look. Whether or not it was because Alfred was trying to sit next to him or not was anyone's guess.

"Oi, you can't sit there Alfred, someone else sits there." Arthur whispered, taking out a book from the desk.

"Well then where am I supposed to sit?" Alfred asked, frowning at being told he couldn't sit with a friend. From what Arthur said about class, it sounded more fun with a friend. Maybe there were other people he knew attending?

"Sit over there, next to Feliks." Arthur whispered, pointing at an empty chair next to a boy before opening his book.

Alfred turned to look at the boy, who seemed to be staring at his nails. The boy had light, shoulder-length blond hair and green eyes. To Alfred's relief, he saw Toris sitting next to the boy, so at least he knew someone else.

Alfred watched as the boy talked openly to Toris, using a bunch of "like" and "totally". He seemed almost annoying, but if he knew Toris then surely he wasn't so bad.

"Erh, okay." Alfred said to Arthur, not too sure about it. Still, he went anyways. Might as well try to be friendly.

As the boy changed his attention from his hands to his clothes, Alfred walked over. Once he sat however, the boy seemed to shy away from Alfred. He must be extremely shy, but why did he seem so flamboyant and outgoing before; especially to Toris?

"Hi!" Alfred said, trying to break the somewhat awkward mood.

"Like, who are you?" The boy, Feliks, asked, shuffling his chair towards Toris.

"Uh, my name is Alfred." Alfred responded, watching as Feliks moved further away from him. He wondered if he just did something to bother the boy?

"Oh. Well, like… Nice to meet you." Feliks responded, looking straight ahead at the front.

"Come on Feliks, where are your manners?" Toris said, looking over at Alfred with a smile. "Sorry Alfred, he's shy."

"Like, Liet, I am not shy. I just don't like strangers much." Feliks said, pouting at his friend.

"I know, but you should at least introduce yourself." Toris said, nudging the boy.

Feliks sighed, looking at Alfred before shifting his eyes down. "Like, my name is Feliks. Shapeshifter from Poland… Nice to meet you."

Alfred's eyes went wide, "Woah! Shapeshifter! So, you can turn into a frog and swim in a pond or something?" he said, staring intently at Feliks. That would be amazing!

"Whoa!" Feliks called out, shuffling further back towards Toris from Alfred's sudden outburst. "Like, ew! No way! I only change into two things! A cute pony, or a sassy phoenix."

"Oh? Well, that's still pretty cool." Alfred said, shifting back to give Felix more space. "Uh, Phoenix you say?"

"Yeah. It's a neat form because I can like, fly and play with fire. That's why a phoenix is sassy! Although, I think my favorite is the pony, 'cause ponies are cute." Feliks said, getting more comfortable with Alfred, now that he had space. Of course, this meant Toris had less, but it was a tiny detail in Feliks' mind.

"Neat! So, then why are you in this class then, if you can already change into those forms? Are you learning other forms?" Alfred asked curiously, waiting for a teacher to arrive and start the class.

"Well, I can, like, change my appearance, but I still need to get better control over it. I mean, I don't want to be stuck looking like a pony, even though ponies are cool. Also, I'm having trouble with my phoenix form, and totally need help with that." Feliks said; his voice getting quieter as the teacher entered the room.

Alfred watched as a tall woman entered the room, her body covered in scales under her light colored robes. She looked pretty, if not for the sound of hissing snakes that occupied, or in this case were, her hair. Her eyes were slits, just like a snake's as she walked over to the desk. Her mouth curved up as a thin tongue slipped out for a split second. It was so quick, Alfred almost missed it.

Immediately Alfred knew what kind of monster she was, having worked on mythology last year in class. "Oh my gosh! It's a gorgon!" He cried, jumping up from his seat and covering his eyes. He didn't want to be turned to stone.

"Like, What are you doing?" Feliks asked, looking at Alfred as though he was crazy, just like the rest of the class was doing. "Are you okay?"

Alfred moved one hand down, catching sight of Arthur who dropped his head on his desk repeatedly; that must hurt… "U-Uh. I-"

"Ah, you must be the new ssstudent, missster Jonesss." The gorgon said, smiling at Alfred. She didn't seem offended as far as Alfred could tell. Or at least, from the tone of her voice if you listened past the extended "s" sounds. He did have his eyes covered after all. "You're free to look at me, missster Jonesss. I can explain quickly, ssseeing asss you are new."

Keeping his eyes shut, he blindly groped for his chair, finding it and sitting down; nearly sliding off the edge.

"Good. Now that you are ssseated, my name is Misss Ursssa. I welcome you to the Training Classss. Thisss isss where you will hone your abiltiesss ssso asss to prevent future incidentsss. People sssuch asss myssself have ssspent enough time on their abilitiesss to control them and even turn them off." Ms. Ursa explained, smiling as Alfred slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. Like she said, he hadn't been turned to stone. That surprised Alfred, but he was nonetheless glad and let out a sigh of relief. He felt a little bad though, for doing that but kept his mouth shut.

"Now then, sssince we have a new ssstudent, perhapsss you can ssshow usss your ability?" Ms. Ursa asked, motioning to the front.

Alfred looked at the front, unsure if he could even use it on command. He hadn't tried, it only happened by accident in the gym yesterday. Still, he stood up, not wanting to disobey as he walked to the front. Standing by the teacher, he took a deep breath, trying to concentrate. He didn't feel any different, nor did he feel anything happen, just hear his own heart, beating rapidly with nervousness as the class watched him intently.

Alfred stood there for two minutes, feeling nothing as he counted the ever passing seconds, the class beginning to get uninterested when something overhead chimed.

"Apologies for the interruption teachers and students, but will Alfred Jones, please report to the principal's office. That's Alfred Jones to the principal's office. Thank you." A click was heard as the announcement came to an end.

"Hmm, I sssuppose you can ssshow usss later missster Jonesss. Will you pleassse head to the office now?" Ms. Ursa asked, motioning to the door.

Alfred nodded waving to Arthur and hurrying out the door. That was really embarrassing… _I wonder why it didn't work?_ Alfred thought, walking slowly down the hallway. _Maybe there is some other trick to it?_ It was possible, but he would still have to figure out what the trick was. _How confusing…_

As Alfred walked down the halls, he wondered about the announcement. _It sounded urgent… Did I do something wrong? _He wondered, _Maybe they really are going to punish me for yesterday!_? He thought in panic. It seemed his nerves just wouldn't get a break. Not today at least…

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Poor cut off! It's poor! I'm sorry! I have a few more chapters made though, as well as finishing up the action-y part! Oh my tree I hope it doesn't fail! This chapter was supposed to be longer but I realized how late my planned update was and had to push this out. <strong>

**I'm my own beta, I'm sorry to say. I was determined to do a project on my own and made myself swear in the beginning that I would complete this story on my own… That's why things are slow. Are my updates too slow? I fear they must be… *sighs***

**Anyways, yay, so Alfred's taken to the office? Ufufu~ Wonder why? Coincidentally, someone asked about Poland in a previous review! I laughed a bit at that; seeing at this chapter had Poland in it~ Hope I got his character okay.. I've seen mixed views on him, but OTL He will have a small part far in the future… My gosh, so many arcs I have planned… *facepalms***

**Oh, but, I'll have the next chapter out bit earlier than next week, just cause it's short, then the one after hopefully soon too. I wonder about my chapters… they're so short… Maybe I should re-visit them sometime and mix them together…**

**Anyways! Thanks to the reviewers! It makes me feel happy, knowing people enjoy my story! Arigatou for the new alert subscriptions! The favorite author one's are kind~ *passes giant cookies to you***

**Anwyays, Reviews are welcomed and flames are used to roast some hotdogs! *Technically veggie dogs…. But who can tell unless you taste it!***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	23. Intro Arc: Chapter 23: Yao

**Quick Note: *shakes computer* Why did you derp! Why! My computer has blown up; not literally, but my story is gone… ;n;) Luckily I did make a backup, but it will take some extra time to re-beta the next chapters. They were all ready until it went boom and wouldn't even start. I'm sorry for the delay of the next chapter, but it will be up as soon as I can! Please accept this tiny *failure of a* chapter that I prepared in advance and was saved on my iPod! I'm sorry it's so small!**

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>For the past few minutes, Alfred's mind had been wandering and he ended up in a completely different wing of the school. His pride and fear didn't seem to allow him to enter a classroom and ask for help, leaving him stuck.<p>

"Aiya… I was busy in my class. I don't want to go all the way to the office." A voice called, making Alfred spin around rapidly in surprise.

Standing a few feet behind him was that boy from yesterday. _The Earth Spirit, Yao was it? _Alfred wondered, watching the boy slowly walking his way. He was sighing as he walked, not looking too happy to be out in the hallways. _Was he lost too?_

_Come to think of it, _Alfred thought, looking around the hallway. _I'm lost too… Huh… Well, misery loves company, right?_

"Hey Yao!" Alfred called, catching Yao's attention and waking over to him. "How 'ya doin'?"

Yao looked at Alfred as he approached, the smell of fresh-cut grass filling Alfred's nose as he grew closer. "Hm? Oh, Alfred, aru. I'm okay. I was going to the office because I was called there." He replied, continuing to walk without waiting for Alfred.

"Oh, really? I was too. H-hey, can I follow you?" Alfred asked, turning around and following Yao anyways.

"You were called to the office, aru? That's odd… Considering that since its Saturday…" Yao said, rubbing his chin in thought, his extra-long sleeves swaying back and forth. "Oh well, aru. I'm sure they'll explain it later."

Alfred had no idea what the boy meant, but couldn't help but mention something as he looked at Yao's clothing. It looked a bit like a dress, but was red with yellow trim and buttons, his white socks and plain brown shoes and his baggy pants made Alfred wonder. "Hey Yao, are you from China or something?"

Yao stopped a few feet awat, a bit surprised this American boy could tell. No one ever could, thinking he just like to cross dress; uncultured students… Maybe this boy wasn't such an ignorant American like all the others? "Yes, aru. I am from China. How can you-"

"Oh, awesome! Chinese friend! I could totally tell from your clothes and accent! Also from your hair; oh and, can you make good dum-"

"Aiya, stupid American!" Yao cried, tossing his hands in the air as he lost a bit of his composure. Scratch that, they were all the same…

"-plings. Aha, sorry…" Alfred said, realizing just how rude that sounded as Yao tried to re-compose himself. "I mean, it's neat to have a multi-cultured friend."

"Friend you say?" Yao asked. He didn't think of it that way. More like an acquaintance, actually, but he didn't mention that. After all, he just met the boy yesterday when he entered the class with Opium.

"Well, yeah! I mean, I guess. Uh, I guess I have to work on that first, but still. Friend potential?" Alfred said sheepishly, it was true he had just met Yao, but even now, he was pretty comfortable with the Earth spirit. He relaxed a bit as he smelled the scent of wildflowers coming from Yao, and sighed happily as they walked at a brisk pace.

"Yes, aru. But we will see." Yao said, relaxing a bit. The boy was okay, albeit a bit open mouthed; he should learn to hold his tongue. Still there was potential in friendship; neither of the boys had many friends.

"You know… You would be a good air freshener Yao." Alfred said, voicing his thoughts and immediately regretting it, as Yao stopped.

A gentle rumbling began under Alfred's feet, the earth seeming to shift under him. However when he looked around, it seemed he was the only one who could feel the tremors. It stopped a split second later, although Yao himself was glaring at Alfred. He tossed his hands up in the air once again before storming down the hallway. "Aiya! American's!" he called, Alfred hurrying after, unable to keep his smile from showing but feeling apologetic all the same.

"Wait, Yao! I'm sorry! Really, it slipped out!" Alfred called, running after him.

Yao sighed, slowing down and rubbing his head. Alfred tried not to laugh as the long sleeves hit the boy's face. "Fine, aru. But follow me and if you have such silly thoughts like that, keep silent! That is, if you can." He muttered, straightening his posture and holding his hands, trying to keep calm. He was a man of patience; it was something he prided himself on. He wasn't extremely mad, though maybe a little, considering how blunt Alfred was.

Nonetheless, this boy, Alfred, had some kind of positive energy coming from him. Yao could feel it though the vibrations in the earth; being an Earth Sprit, it was natural to be able to pick up on these things. It at least made him smile, though his eye twitched at how he could have possibly thought this boy was a well-mannered American.

"Haha, no problem! Lead the way!" Alfred said, inhaling the new scent flowers coming from Yao. It must change with his mood perhaps?

"Ugh, I don't really want to, aru. I'd much rather lead the way back to my class." Yao said, finally calm again as he started walking. He moved a bit slower now; so maybe they were close and he didn't feel rushed?

"I'd rather go… I think I looked dumb in training class. My power doesn't seem to work. It must be broken." Alfred said, thinking about his class and how he looked pretty foolish standing in the front.

"Oh? You are one of those that possesses an ability, aru? Well that's not a problem. If you just discovered it, it will take some time to get it to the point of being able to use it at will, aru." Yao said, his ears perking as he learned this new trait of Alfred's. "Judging from yesterday's reaction, I'd say it hasn't happened before. So give it time and I'm sure you'll have a better understanding of it, aru."

Alfred sighed, "Hope so. It's confusing, all this new stuff. Right now, I'd be at home, watching a show with my parents or out with my friends…

Yao cast a short side glance to Alfred, taking note of how the boy's shoulders slumped as he thought of his home. "It's hard to get used to change Alfred, but we all do. Over time, you'll get into the flow, aru. It might just take longer than others." he said, looking straight down the hall. Times like these, he felt like an old man, trying to comfort a young boy. "You never know, aru, maybe things were just meant to be. Fate and destiny are two strange thing's, they seem similar but can be different… Ah, here we are."

Alfred looked at the familiar office door, standing outside with Yao, still listening as the boy spoke.

"Well, nonetheless, I hope you will find some comfort here Alfred. The school may seem different at first, with strange people and classes and habits, but I think you'll find many similarities between what you've seen in your world and what you see here, aru. That is, if you are willing to keep an open mind and see them." Yao said, knocking on the door and opening it, walking inside as Alfred followed.

"_I think you'll find many similarities between what you've seen in your world and what you see here. That is, if you are willing to keep an open mind and see them."_

The words echoed through Alfred's head as he stepped into the office. Perhaps Yao was right… But right now, in all honesty, he just wished he was back home, sitting with his parents eating a late lunch or in the park with his friends.

Everyone seemed to know each other and each had established good friendships; he felt like he was intruding. He was already making a strange reputation for himself, he was sure of it, and he just wished he had more familiarity. This place felt like another world and he was the alien invader.

He wished his mother ship would come and take him back home…

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><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>

**Me: *still shaking computer* Why would you do that? My readers won't be happy! You've condemned me to a world of flames!**

**Computer: Error... Does not compute. *Shuts down.**

**Me: (;A;)**

**Random Hetalia character *You decide!*: I can entertain them while they wait?**

**Me: How? (;A;)**

**Character: I'll do a dance! A sexy dance!**

**Me: . . . (T_T") *goes to fix computer***

**Character: *dances anyways* :D**

**Did that help? Did the random script there make you feel less mad that my updates may be slow for a bit? (;n;) Don't kill me! I need to keep writing!**

**Anyways, like I said, it's broken! I'll try to write with my iPod, but it's sure hard... I can't disappoint! **

**There's not much else to say. That was the major news, but I hope a Yao chapter was enough to stall! Geh, summer school sure takes out the creativity... Preview courses are hard! A) **

**Hm, well, next chapter starts the action! It would have been this but the other has so many mistakes and it's almost been a week! I need to stay consistent with updates! (._.")**

**Thanks to you reviewers, and you alerts and everyone just for reading the story and sticking with me for so long! You guys are great, I hope you know that! *gives you all a cookie***

**Reviews are nice~ Flames are really just someone else's fire. You wanna burn me, I'll just put on my fire-retardant glasses. They make a super cool shield. **

**( ._.) o-o**

**( ._.) o-o *reaches for glasses***

**(o-o) { Come at me bro!**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	24. Intro Arc: Chapter 24: Principal

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Entering the all too familiar office, Alfred walked slowly behind Yao. He had been here so frequently, he wondered if this would become a habit. Maybe they should give him a special chair with a sign saying "Reserved for Alfred. F. Jones."<p>

"Hello boys. Head to Mr. Germania's office please." The secretary said, not even looking up from her work as she pointed a finger towards said man's office.

Not saying a word, Yao walked to the office door, knocking once and waiting for someone to answer it.

"So Yao, uh, do you know why we were called here?" Alfred asked, standing next to the boy.

"Yes, aru. They always call down a few students on Saturdays. You'll understand why when we get into the office." Yao said, looking up as the door opened.

There stood Principal Germania, who ushered the two in and motioned for them to sit as he shut the door. "Welcome boys," He said in his gruff voice. "I believe there will be one more person coming, so please take a seat while we wait."

"Hey! Nice to see you again, amigo!" a voice called to Alfred as he entered and sat in a nearby seat. He turned his head to the left, taking a look around the room.

Sitting in the chair next to him was Antonio, a smile on his face as he greeted Alfred. To Antonio's left was Lovino, who looked down at the floor. He didn't seem pleased to be here. Today Antonio was wearing a light white shirt with plain pants, while Lovino seemed to have changed into a green sailors outfit; matching his brothers blue one. Both boys were eating tomatoes as though they were apples, and it made Alfred wonder how they could do that without tomato juice running everywhere.

"Aiya. Who are we waiting for?" Yao asked, sitting in a chair across from Alfred. "I left Kiku alone with-"

"Hi~ Sorry I'm late. My sister wouldn't let me leave the classroom without her, so I had to take a different way here." A cheerful voice said, interrupting Yao.

"Ack! It's you!" Yao called. He seemed to have the greatest reaction to the new arrival, compared to everyone else.

Turning his head from Antonio and Lovino, both whom were fairly surprised to see the new arrival, Alfred looked towards the door. Standing in the doorway was Ivan, the necromancer he met yesterday. He looked exactly the same, wearing the same clothes and scarf as he walked inside casually, taking a seat next to Yao, who recoiled instantly.

"Get away from me, aru!" Yao said, trying to shift his chair.

"Is Yao-Yao unhappy to see me?" Ivan asked, his face changing from a smile to a sad frown.

'Yes, aru! I'm just glad you're away from Kiku now!" Yao said, not at all bothered by the frown and instead shifting his chair a centimeter further from the door.

"Ah, they don't like each other too much. To many Become-One requests, I think." Antonio said, whispering to Alfred, who looked confused at the exchange. "Still, Yao's the only one who can somewhat tolerate Ivan." He continued. Even Antonio seemed intimidated by Ivan's presence, Alfred noticed, although he was still smiling as Lovino inched closer to him.

Principal Germania cleared his throat, trying to divert the attention to him. "Right, well, now that you are all here." He began, glaring at Yao and Ivan, causing both boys to stop immediately and pay attention. "I suspect you all know why you're here."

Alfred raised a hand, "Ah, I don't. Did I do something wrong? 'Cause if I did, then I blame Artie!" he said quickly.

A few boys snickered before Principal Germania frowned, causing them to go silent. "No Alfred, you are not in trouble. I have called you here today because you have been selected to participate in tonight's Food Run."

No one spoke, though there were nods of understanding from everyone. Lovino looked about the same, his frown not giving anything away. Yao just sighed, already knowing what to expect. Ivan was also the same, his smile seeming to be plastered on his face, but Alfred noticed that Antonio's smile faltered for a moment. "Ah, senor Germania? I-Is there a chance that I can give up my place for someone else to go?"

Principal Germania shook his head immediately, "No, Roma gave me a specific list of people who would go. He said no one else was able to go. He even had to add Alfred, a new student, to go on the Food Run."

Antonio nodded, sighing before his smile returned to his face. "Ah, okay. That's fine. If no one else can go, then I'm happy to do it."

Principal Germania nodded, "That's the right attitude. Now then, any questions?"

Alfred raised his hand again, "Yeah. A Food Run is when we go to stores and buy things, right?"

Principal Germania nodded. "More or less Alfred. Since you're new here, I'll assign someone to stay with you on this trip. They can help you through the process, okay?"

Alfred nodded, relieved he wouldn't have to do this job blind, so-to-speak.

"Right then. Lovino Vargas, you will be Alfred's guide." Principal Germania said, looking at the Italian who immediately ceased his snickering. He had been laughing at the American's cluelessness.

"Wait, what! I don't want to be stuck with the vampire! Why can't you have someo-" Lovino shut his mouth as Germania gave him a harsh glare.

Antonio whistled softly, "Huh, level three glare."

"Sorry, what?" Alfred asked, watching the two as they seemed to have a stare-off.

"Senor Germania has different glares. The students label them by level. Level one is his normal look, it's for less serious things or simple lectures. Level two is for things like practical jokes or when he's displeased; also if he's in a bad mood. Level three is when he's being serious and it's considered a warning for severe punishments. Level four is bad news, it means you are in for it and you're in serious trouble; it's usually after level three. Not many people see level five, but it's good that you don't… No one really knows when he uses it…" Antonio said, watching as Lovino's stare waivered under Principal Germania's.

"I-I mean… Ugh, fine." Lovino said at last, looking away from the principal and instead diverting his attention to Alfred. "You'd better not slow me down, got it!" he hissed as Principal Germania nodded, sitting down at his desk.

Alfred nodded as Lovino glared at him. "Erh, no problem Lovino." He said, giving the Italian a thumbs-up. He was rewarded with a simple huff as Lovino looked away.

Germania sighed. "I would send others, especially ones with more experience. There have been some strange happenings in the towns lately and I would prefer more experienced students left. Still, like I said, they're unable to attend and I have to send you five. Anyways, please meet at the school gates tonight at seven, alright?"

Everyone nodded as Germania dismissed them, everyone filing out of the office and standing in the hallway.

"Ufufu~ This will be fun!" Ivan said, once the office door closed behind them and they were all standing in the hallway.

"Aiya… I was going to study with Kiku tonight… I guess he will have to study by himself now." Yao said, rubbing his head as he thought of the work they would have to do now.

"Chigi! Darn principal! I have to babysit the new kid now!" Lovino said, stomping his foot on the ground as Antonio came up to him from behind and hugged hm.

"Awh, Lovi~ It'll be okay! It means senor Germania thinks you're responsible!" Antonio said, holding on tightly to Lovino as the boy vainly flapped his raven-black wings, trying to shake Antonio off.

"Get off me you tomato bastard!" Lovino said.

Alfred watched, not sure what to think. He remembered Arthur and Toris explaining what a Food Run was last night, but didn't expect he would be going on one so soon. He just hoped he wouldn't screw up. 

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Oh geez! I'm so sorry readers! I had been on a week-long trip to visit a good friend, but I failed to mention it to anyone! (A") Forgive me for failing to update in time! Then again, I did just get my computer back the day before I left… I had time to write a bit at least? (;w;?) *praises the tech team in that store* All the files were intact!**

**Okay, so finally, we have the action we've been waiting for! The next chapter will be a bit longer, and full of *most likely rushed OTL* drama! Yay! *7*) It only took twenty-four chapters! *I fail!* I'm happy to be getting somewhere though. I bet you're all saying "About time!" Ahaha, sorry… (;n;)**

**Hmm, all that's left to do… Is round off this arc, which I'll call the introduction arc, 'cause I'm highly un-original and don't have anything better to call it. Next would be the next lines of the prophecy, making a new arc… Gosh, this will be a long story. I just hope I don't rush things… I should work on character stories too… Better yet, the actual story though. Oh, these are just random thoughts. Sorry to bore you with them!**

**Thanks to all the new reviews! Also for the other story, Truth and Lies, which has no relevance to this story but if you read it, then thank you~ Reviews make me cry rainbows. (;w;) *inside, of course! (w)**

**Reviews are welcomed! *I said they make me cry rainbows after all!* flames are used to… Light the fireworks! I love the Festival of Light~ Too bad it's so far from my home I can just stand on the roof and wish I was down watching up close. (=3=)**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	25. Intro Arc: Chapter 25: Food Run

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

**Watch for Lovino's language! But hey; it's Lovino~ The next couple of chapters will have a special "Lovino Warning!" Marked with a **

**(=n=)9 Chigi! Lovino Warning!**

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><p>"Eh? You got in the food run?" Matthew exclaimed once Alfred told him. It was almost seven and Mathew wondered where Alfred was going to in such a hurry and followed. Now they sat on the grass together beside the school gates, waiting for the other boys to arrive as Alfred explained.<p>

"Yeah, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do on it. Lovino doesn't seem pleased with me either..." Alfred said, sitting with Matthew in the school field.

"Hmm... Well, Lovino isn't that happy with anyone, except Antonio. As for what to do, I wouldn't know... I've never been on one." Matthew said, sighing. He couldn't carry anything, and people would immediately panic if they saw him literally walk through the store entrance. "Oh but, before I forget, did you talk to the principals about the room arrangement?"

"Oh! I knew I forgot something!" Alfred said; realization appearing on his face. Matthew chuckled, figuring as much.

"Hey Mattie, I was wondering. Why don't we just leave the issue for now? I mean… I kinda enjoy sharing the room. It feels familiar in this weird place…" Alfred said softly, thinking about it for a moment. It was true though. It felt like a familiar piece of home in this odd place.

Matthew stayed silent, not objecting the idea in the least. To be honest, he felt a lot more comfortable last night. Before, he would usually toss and turn for half the night before restlessly falling asleep and waking up early. "Okay…I have no objections" he replied, smiling at his brother who returned it full-force.

Alfred smiled, "Thank's Ma-"

"Aiya! Ivan, you made me late, aru!" Yao called from behind the boys, interrupting Alfred. Both turned around, seeing Ivan and Yao walking over to the gates, Yao angrily stomping as Ivan smiled, following like a puppy.

"Oh, but Yao Yao~ It's not my fault you ran into me with your hot cup of tea! We had to change our clothes, but I got to talk to you on the way here, da? I think it is a fortunate chance!" Ivan said, not bothered by the Chinese boy's cold shoulder.

"Whatever aru. That tea was for my brother and now he has to make his own! Where is Antonio and Lovino?" Yao asked, looking around for the boys as he gave Alfred a small nod in acknowledgement.

"Chigi! Antonio, stop touching me!" A loud cry was heard; gradually getting louder as the boys approached. They wore dark shirts and pants.

Sure enough, two boys came around, each wearing dark clothing. Now that Alfred noticed; all the boys were wearing fairly dark clothes. Yao wore a black Chinese ensemble as Ivan wore a dark coat, although you could see a light scarf peeking out of the collar.

"Are we robbing a grocery store or something?" Alfred asked, looking at his own light shirt.

"No, these clothes are so we don't draw too much attention! It's Saturday which means more people are out in their fancy clothes and dancing in lit up bars!" Lovino said, huffing as Antonio poked his cheek; wondering why his Lovi was acting so angry.

"Stop that, you're annoying! I'm not happy babysitting this new kid!" Lovino said, shoving Antonio away.

"Lovino would rather go with Antonio, da?" Ivan said casually.

The Italian boy blushed a tomato red as Antonio aww-ed.

"Sh-Shut up you… You-"

Ivan simply smiled down at the boy as a sinister feeling filled the air around him.

"Ch-Chigi! Never mind." Lovino said hastily, hiding behind Antonio who had a smile on his face, completely oblivious to Ivan's aura.

"How are we getting to town?" Alfred asked, trying to break the tense mood.

"Ah, well you all should have been there by now~" A casual voice called, cutting through the tension where Alfred's couldn't.

Everyone turned around to look at the approaching Principal Roma. He waved back to the group, followed by Principal Germania; his arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"You all should have been in your specific groups." Principal Germania said once he reached the boys. "Did I not tell you the groups?"

All the boys shook their heads, though Alfred did nothing. Weren't they in their group already?

Principal Germania sighed, pointing to Yao and Ivan, "You are one group." Then he pointed to Alfred, Lovino and Antonio. "And you are the other." He said sternly, pointing towards two large trucks that were parked behind some trees. Alfred hadn't noticed them there.

"We would be gone, aru, if the trucks had been here faster." Yao said bravely as Germania looked towards him.

"Yes well. If not for that guy-" Germania pointed to Roma who was talking to a female student. "-we would have brought these sooner. Anyways, I made the groups accordingly, so I trust you all to be back here within the next few hours."

Everyone nodded and hurried off to the trucks. Alfred's group in particular headed over to a big red one; which made him think of a fire truck as he walked around the machine. "Cool! I'll d-"

"I'll drive, si?" Antonio said right away, hopping in the driver's seat. "Any objections?"

"No, let's hurry Antonio. I want to get back here and make sure Feli didn't eat my share of pasta." Lovino said, heading straight for the passenger seat.

"Hey I-"

"Get in the stupid truck, idiota American. We'll leave without you." Lovino deadpanned, not in the mood.

Alfred shut his mouth sighing and walking over to the door before he noticed something…

"Not here, dummy. The front only has room for two. In the back." Lovino said, pointing to the back with his finger.

Gritting his teeth, Alfred walked over to the back, opening the doors and stepping inside. He looked all around the truck, not seeing a seat; it was just one big metal box. Turning around, he saw the truck behind, Ivan in the driver's seat. He motioned to one of the bars attached to the inside of the truck as his mouthed opened and closed in attempt to tell Alfred something. Before Alfred could call out for him to repeat, Yao sat next to the boy and his attention was diverted.

Alfred tilted his head in confusion, watching as Principal Germania was busy prying Principal Roma away from his conversation with another female student. Clearly they wouldn't be able to offer any help as Alfred grabbed hold of the bar just as the truck started. The truck doors swung back and forth as it moved forwards and Alfred began to understand what Ivan tried to tell him.

_No seat, so hold on tight. _

Leaning forwards and nearly being smacked in the face if not for his improved reflexes, Alfred shut the truck doors with a slam as the trucks left the gates, the Principal Roma waving as Principal Germania lowered the schools barrier.

"Bye students! Don't get hurt, okay!" Roma called, turning his head and looking at a floating ghost who stood there looking up at the sky. He wondered what it was as he looked up but all he saw was the full moon and the stars.

"Are you a new student here?" Roma asked the ghost.

The ghost sighed and mumbled something that sounded like "I'm Matthew!" before floating back to the school where a small polar bear joined him… How weird.

"Bye-bye then!" Roma called as Germania raised the barrier again; the truck head-lights fading into the surrounding forest.

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><p>"Alright, listen up Alfred. I'm saying this once." Lovino said, standing in front of the truck, parked in an empty, public-parking lot. They were in the middle of the city, the many night-time patrons going in nearby clubs and flashing lights from different late-night shops were distracting Alfred. It felt like he hadn't seen this in ages, and in a way it would be true. He had lived in a smaller neighborhood wih his parents, only going out to places like these with his friends on weekends.<p>

"Now, we go to different stores and pick up things from our list. Leave them in the truck and keep going. You have the credit card for the food and the pin number, so get what we need and nothing else. Got it?" Lovino said, not looking at Alfred as he spoke.

Alfred nodded, half listening as he watched some teenagers walking towards a club. He saw a tall girl with has short and wavy blonde hair, held back with a ribbon headband. She looked a bit like Antonio come to think of it. She was wearing some lovely cat earrings though.

"Alright, so you go to that store Antonio, I'll go to that over there and Alfred goes to that one." Lovino said, pointing to different areas where he saw some stores.

"Got it." Alfred said, watching as the girl waved to a tall guy with short, spiky, light blonde hair. They spoke with each other before looking in Alfred's direction where he averted his eyes, looking at Lovino and Antonio. He tuned into their conversation, trying to ignore the eyes on his back.

"But Lovi, you're supposed to watch Alfred." Antonio said, tugging on Lovino's shirt sleeve.

"I don't care! This is an easy job and I'm sure this kid can do it. Or am I wrong in assuming you're able to buy something and you need a baby-sitter?" Lovino asked, looking at Alfred.

Alfred felt his pride had been challenged and folded his arms. "No, I think I can handle it. You probably want to be alone with Antonio anyways." He retorted.

"Sh-Shut up! That's not true! Let's just hurry and get this done." Lovino said, huffing and slipping on a long overcoat to hide his wings. He grabbed his list as he walked away from the other two boys, looking back at Antonio for a moment as the Spaniard waved.

"Uh… Where was I supposed to go?" Alfred asked, looking at Antonio. He wasn't really paying attention.

"Oh, Uh… Over… There?" Antonio said, sounding fairly unsure. He pointed down the lit up street, "Well, there is a store there. It has a few things. I suppose it can't hurt wandering, si?" he said. It seemed that he wasn't paying attention either. "I think I'll go that way. There's a store on the other side." He said, pointing towards the park.

"Right… Good luck Antonio." Alfred said, taking his list and card and heading off. He wondered why Antonio was selected if he was that… spacey.

"Must have stuff on his mind." Alfred mumbled, shrugging it off and walking away from the van. He couldn't think about that right now; he had a job to do!

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

**Whee! It's finally out! Now there will be excitement! (*7*) Okay, I'll be more consistent in updates now! I'm all happy because my story was saved thanks to my USB. They're good investments! Good I tell you! Even though I'm now, kinda broke! *bows to USB***

**Anyways~ So it begins, Alfred's late night escapade with probably lame action, but until the next time. This will get the prophecy in motion though. Things will make sense soon~ Reminds me though, since this Introduction Arc is coming to a close, the next one will be focused more on a couple specific characters but I'm not sure if I should change the POV or just make everything more Omniscient *If that's even possible ._.")**

**I'll figure it out. (=u=)**

**Thanks to all the reviews! The new readers, and faves and followers! You guys are so great; I love any feedback I can get. Especially for the newest *Non-relevant* story of mine; "The Magic Stone" I feel so proud of it. *Sobs rainbows***

**Sorry; shameless advertising there. **

**Reviews are welcome! Flames will be used to power my computer! My computer runs on your flames! Wahahaha! **

**~SERF **

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	26. Intro Arc: Chapter 26: Monster

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does!

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><p>Almost two hours later, Alfred came back to the truck, all of his list at long last, crossed off.<p>

"Man, how are you supposed to find all of these things in one store?!" Alfred whined, lowering the bags on the ground. It had taken him a full hour just to find one-quarter of the list. He had to go to another three stores to get more.

The first store, Alfred nearly caused a stir when he caught that box that nearly landed on a worker. Which wouldn't be a problem if it hadn't been packed full of heavy bags of flour. He had to hurry and purchase everything.

The second went smoothly, Despite the store clerk looking at Alfred like he was crazy when he listed that he would need at least thirty extra cartons of eggs. No wonder the principal never chose students to go on a Food Run twice in a row.

The third was no better; although Alfred felt like he was being watched sometimes. Then again; he was a teen boy, out at night and carrying bag after bag of groceries. He didn't keep too quiet when he traversed the streets, often grunting in annoyance at how tedious it was to move the groceries. He wondered how the others did it.

"Come to think of it…" Alfred mumbled, opening the truck doors, only to find that he had been the only one to return. Or at least return for the sixth time.

"Where are the others? Surely they would have to drop some of their stuff off." Alfred wondered. He had seen Lovino at one of the stores and Antonio at another, but lost track of them since he was so absorbed in his shopping. He was getting the hang of things at this point. After all, it's really just like a grocery pickup, kind of like he did for his mother at home.

_Though, she wouldn't ask me to fetch seventeen turkeys from the store._Alfred thought absently, going through the shopping list to make sure he didn't miss anything. A hero doesn't leave a job partly-finished!

"I woulda thought I'd be the slowest since they have so much experience." Alfred mumbled, nodding to himself and shutting the doors of the truck as he tucked the list in his pocket.

Alfred peered down the street, looking around. Things had gotten quieter, being later at night. The lights were bright in the darkness of night; faint low bass sounds coming from nearby clubs as a gust of wind blew through the street.

_I guess I just have to wait for them. _Alfred thought, leaning against the truck and kicking the pavement beneath him. He watched as a rock flew from where he kicked, leaving a good sized dent in a nearby trashcan. _Oops… Right, the strength._

_Urgh, it's so hard to get used to it... How does Superman do it? _Alfred wondered, watching as a stray cat jumped from behind the can and ran off.

Looking up at the sky, Alfred opted to stare at the moon. It was beautiful this night, the stars twinkling around it.

"It was almost a full moon when I was attacked…" Alfred muttered, looking down and sighing. He could remember it pretty well, his head a lot clearer than it was yesterday. The look the florist gave him, the evening when he met him. The feeling of fear and the cold rush of the wind; he even remembered Matthew communicating with him and warning him… Shuddering at the memory and rubbing his neck where he was sure he was bitten, he checked his watch in attempt to distract himself.

"It doesn't seem like they're coming back…" Alfred mumbled, twenty-five minutes having come and gone since he had come back to the truck. He looked towards the park, wondering if it would hurt to take a short walk. Since he was done, it wouldn't be a bad thing, right? It's just stretching out the legs.

"Awh, why not~" Alfred said cheerfully. No one had said he couldn't after all and who knew when he would get another chance to be out of that school. He might as well enjoy.

Whistling a soft tune as he walked into the park entrance, Alfred headed towards the center of the park. It wasn't a big place, but the flowers, trees, and bushes made visibility low, giving the illusion you were in a big forest, despite the fact that the other end of the park would be seen if you only trimmed the plants. Then again, the park was technically big if you counted the forest it was attached to, located to the east.

"I guess I can take ten minutes to sit here." Alfred mumbled to himself, sitting on a bench right in the center of the park.

Alfred was about to lean back and rest, when something darted past him, causing him to sit up; stiff and straight. He slowly craned his neck to the left where the thing had gone, searching for it. His eyes met deep green ones that seemed to float in the darkness of the forest. There was no body, at least that Alfred could see. Even with vampire vision, it was still very dark. Alfred could feel its gaze, boring a hole through him.

"W-What th-"

A feral, inhuman snarl was heard as the eyes grew larger, the owner of the eyes slowly drawing closer. It gave another snarl as it sped up, coming straight for Alfred at a blinding speed.

Alfred jumped to the side, rolling off the bench before the creature could hit him. If not for his fast reflexes, that hole in the bench would have been his head.

"D-Dude! What the hell!" Alfred cried out, his eyes transfixed on the sight before him.

The park lights shone down on the creature, making it easier to see as it snarled at Alfred.

It could have been a dog; better yet a wolf, but it was too large, almost the size of a horse! Its teeth were bared, each sharp as needles but thick and powerful. The green eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, bright as green fire but casting a cold and calculating gaze. If it weren't trying to kill him, Alfred would have wanted to walk up and pet the creature, its long, light, honey-colored fur blowing in the wind.

Despite the fear that was wracking his body, as well as a bit of adrenaline, Alfred stared into those eyes, finding them somehow familiar to him. They were human almost, until he couldn't keep eye contact any longer, the strange dog-wolf creature charging at him preparing to rip a hole in his throat. It was aiming to kill.

Alfred had no time to react, he couldn't even defend himself. He had been distracted, and was paying the price, shutting his eyes and waiting for the feeling of teeth on his neck.

Except he didn't feel them, instead feeling a sudden breeze and hearing a crash, then a whimper, as he cracked his eye open.

Another dog-wolf creature had appeared, but this one had a darker coat, its fur a dark brown instead of a light golden. Yet its eyes were a similar green color. It didn't seem to want to harm Alfred though, instead it was growling at the other. It held a defensive stance as the first was crouched and ready to attack.

Alfred hurried to his feet, his mind screaming to get away fast. He may have enhanced skills and abilities, but he was still just a teenage boy at heart. Despite one little part of his head nagging at him to be a hero, his instincts told him that the smartest thing would be to run. However, a large part of his mind was yelling at him to find Lovino, but he didn't understand why.

_Find Lovino you idiot. If you don't you'll die_! The voice called; back from wherever it had recently been. It was strange hearing it, it felt like a whole other person was talking to him, even though it sounded a lot like him; though lower and a bit more menacing…

Nonetheless, blinded by shock and adrenaline from near-death, Alfred ran back to the truck, not looking back as another crash and high-pitched yip was heard behind him.

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><p>"Chigi! Where have you been, stupid! I've been waiting for you and Antonio for ages now!" Lovino cried, spotting Alfred running from the park towards the truck.<p>

"No time for that Lovino!" Alfred said, panting as he reached the truck; Lovino glared at him.

"Che palle, you actually have the balls to talk bac-"

"Lovino! There's some crazy dog-wolf creatures in the park right now! Someone's gonna get hurt!" Alfred shouted angrily, ignoring the dark voice that selfishly said _"I might get hurt!"_ He had almost voiced that...

Lovino's eye widened, "Calm down idiota! What did you say? About the dogs?!" he cried.

"I said that some giant dog-wolf things are in the park! One of them nearly ripped my face off!" Alfred said, waving his hands as though he believed that imitating a wannabe flying bird would make Lovino understand better.

"Damn it! I knew it was a bad idea! I knew it!" Lovino cried in anger, running for the park. Alfred followed behind the Italian, somehow barely able to keep up despite his speed. Italians must be natural runners!

They both stopped at the park, the lawn in ruins. Many places were dug up while other areas were trampled. A few garbage cans were bent from something hitting them and a small trail of dark spatters led deeper into the forest. It was like a giant gang fight had taken place here, but Alfred knew better.

"Dude! Lovino! What the hell is happening?!"

Lovino rounded on Alfred, "Listen, you said two wolves, there should only be one! So what happened!?" he said as his eyes darted around the park.

"What?! What do you know about this Lovino!?" Alfred asked, just as loudly.

"I don't know anything, but you seem to! You came and got me remember!" Lovino yelled.

"What?! I just came here 'cause I was waiting for you and Antonio! I finished my part of the food run, you guys were late! I was going to sit on a bench and relax until some dog-wolf decided to rip my head off!"

"Shut up! I want to know what happened here and where he is!" Lovino yelled, motioning to the wreckage of the park, fear and worry flashing in his eyes briefly before the emotions were hidden behind anger.

"He?! Who's he?" Alfred asked calmly. He was gritting his teeth in frustration, confused but it seemed someone had to be the even-headed one here.

Lovino looked to the side, eyes trained on the dark spatters. "Wh-Where is… that bastard… A-Antonio." he said softly, not hiding the worry in his voice.

Alfred's hard expression softened slightly, Lovino was just worried for his friend. Even if the boy didn't show it; he did care about Antonio. "Well.. Wouldn't he be in one of the stores? I'm sure he's okay."

Lovino turned angrily at Alfred, the fire back in his eyes. "You idiota! No one in this school is normal Alfred! Even if Antonio looks normal, he's still…" The Italian trailed off, not wanting to say that his friend was a…

"Monster." It was Alfred's voice, lower and more menacing sounding, yet… This time it wasn't in his head. This time Alfred himself said it; yet it wasn't him. Instantly he slapped his hands on his mouth as Lovino glared, his eyes turning steely.

"Yes. Yes Alfred, he's a monster. We all are. How many times does everyone have to admit it, or remind you until you get it through your stupid, hard skull?" Lovino replied, venom in his voice as he winced when he used the word. "It doesn't mean we think we are, that word is what idiotas like you call people who are so different, we scare you. You're on-"

A howl was heard nearby, low and somehow laced with a sad underlying tone. Another sounded just as the first cut off, this one like a snarl, followed by high-pitched yelps. It cut Lovino off and causing the Italian's head to turn in the direction. "Damn it Antonio! Hold on!" He called, running in the direction of the forest. He stopped for a moment, turning to Alfred.

"You can stay here and cower for all I care. I'm going to help my friend, whether he is a monster, or not. He is my friend Antonio and… and dammit, I don't care if he's all furry!" He said, spinning around and following the howls, leaving the American vampire standing in the park.

_"It doesn't mean we think we are, that word is what idiotas like you call people who are so different, we scare you. You're on-"_

Lovino's words hung in the air, playing in Alfred's head like a broken record. He knew what Lovino was about to say before he ran off.

_"You're on-"_Lovino had said.

_**"You're one too."**_was what he had meant and Alfred knew it.

Standing in the park; still as a statue, Alfred was speechless, even the voice in his head was silent. He couldn't respond; or reply, but not because Lovino had run off and was out of hearing distance. But because somewhere deep in Alfred's mind; something told him.

_**How could anyone argue a fact?**_

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Bleaaaahhh…. That ending right there. Does anyone get it? I mean; I suppose it makes sense. It's a fact that Alfred's not human, but was that even good drama? Is that a good statement? Do I make sense!? I don't know anymore. *sob*<strong>

**Oh well. It's excitement! Wheee~ *wiggles arms* ~(*7*)~**

**I need to work on that… At least the part I was excited to write is finally seeing light. Another chapter of fun for next week~ Then things will come together! I will get this story done! Hopefully we will see weekly updates now. That are CONSISTENT! *glares at self***

**I should work on character stories…*lazy cry***

**Now then! During the last chapter, I received my one hundredth review! *cries rainbows* I can't believe that my story has gotten over one hundred reviews. It's literally something I've only dreamed of. The one hundredth reviewer is ****Sunflower in the Dark****! I am working hard on the request fic; I hope it will be done soon and to your liking. (^_^")**

**Thank you to the rest of my reviewers! I love you all; you helped my story get to one hundred reviews. *hands you all cakes* You're the best! Don't let people tell you otherwise; okay!**

**Reviews are welcome, flames are used to keep the Demon wing at Roma Antiqua school lit and warm. That school would save money on heat!**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	27. Intro Arc: Chapter 27: Werewolf

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does!

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><p>Alfred watched stunned as Lovino ran into the trees, towards the loud cries. That was the first time he had heard Lovino say something positive about anyone. Though, he only knew the boy for a little less than two days, he had the feeling he rarely said anything remotely nice… Or that long.<p>

Alfred realized the moment the word left his mouth, that it was a bad idea. He knew he had screwed up royally, as Matthew would say, but he did understand what Lovino was trying to say. It had been a message repeated time and again in the short while he knew everyone. Arthur, Matthew, even Yao and Ivan, had told him something along those lines… But right now, the only thing he was focused on was-

"Furry?!" Alfred said with a squeak. "What does he mean by- Woah wait! Lovino don't go in there! They'll rip you apart!" he cried, realizing that the boy had just bolted towards the danger, not away. Instantly his hero complex kicked in and he dashed forwards, running into the trees after Lovino.

It would be the last thing the angry boy would want, to have the guy who insulted him and his friend to come and possibly try to save him. But even so, Alfred wouldn't allow someone; anyone, get hurt if he could help it.

As he ran, Alfred was still trying to understand what Lovino meant about Antonio. It was nagging at his mind, and he knew he should know; yet the answer seemed to elude him.

_Humph, that British boy was right. You are a bit slow. _The voice muttered, causing Alfred to desperately want to slap it. It was the reason Lovino was so mad at him, why couldn't it just keep silent?

'_Cause it's what you were thinking at that time. Maybe I said it, but you had the thought._ The voice retorted, returning to silence when Alfred tried to deny it. He knew it was true. It was blatantly obvious that he had spoken his own thoughts back there, but he at least knew to hold his tongue! Instead, he focused on the running, ending up in a small field as he heard Lovino's voice amongst the now louder howls and whines.

Emerging on the field from the dense forest, Alfred was greeted by a loud growl in front of him. His eyes widened when now, he saw not one or two, but three large dog-wolf creatures, followed by a winged boy standing next to one of them. It was like a face-off, the golden animal that had first attacked him was on one side of the field, followed by another who had the same color coat, though shaggier. They had some scratches on their bodies, judging by the red streaks in their fur, but they were in much better shape than the brown one on the other side. It was covered in good-sized gashes; the trail of blood that was in the park was clearly from the brown one.

All of them had the same color eyes, a vibrant green that glowed, piercing the dark as they faced off. They were trained on each other, growls and snarls being shared as they waited for the other to attack.

What shocked Alfred, was the strange, dark lumps at the golden dog-wolves paws. Disturbingly, they looked like bodies, but Alfred shook his head, snapping himself from his shock as Lovino's voice broke through the howls of the beasts.

"Chigi! Get away from him, bastardos! I don't know who you are, but he hasn't done anything wrong!" Lovino cried as the brown wolf moved forwards in front of Lovino protectively. It was limping however and ended up dropping to the ground in a heap, whimpering in, what Alfred guessed; pain.

"Dammit Antonio, don't do that!" Lovino cried bitterly, running forwards and grabbing hold of the strange wolf's pelt, shaking it gently.

It was then Alfred, whom had been slowly approaching the scene as this exchange was happening, at last was slowly starting to fit together little pieces of a bigger puzzle.

The dog-wolf, or brown wolf at least, was actually a werewolf. Not just any either; the wolf was Antonio. Arthur had told him before, when they first met him.

"_**Yes, Antonio is a werewolf. He doesn't act like it though. He seems to have good control over his wolf personality. I guess because he has Lovino. They have a history." **_

Arthur's words played in his head as Alfred remembered his conversation with the angel. He watched the wolves growl at each other, advancing a foot. Antonio's growl was softer than the others however; weak, causing Lovino let out a string of curse words at the other wolves, just to add a bite to Antonio's weak sounds.

Suddenly, one of the wolves, the smaller one who was more nimble on its feet lunged forwards at Antonio and Lovino.

Alfred didn't hesitate as he ran forwards, his hand already forming a fist.

_Antonio was a werewolf, and tonight there was a full moon. That was why he had asked the principal about giving up his position in the food run._ Alfred thought, the field flying past him as he made the dash, hoping he would reach them in time.

_**No one knows much about him, except Lovino and Feliciano, who joined the school with him."**_

_That was why Lovino seemed a bit nervous around Antonio and why Antonio opted to go through the park to his store. _Alfred realized, sliding under the wolf, crouching down and shoving his fist up; almost like a fist-pump, but this time in attack.

The wolf howled in pain as it was pushed up, the punch hitting it square in the jaw, causing it to be flung upwards and away from Lovino and Antonio. The other wolf growled angrily at Alfred as Lovino stared in shock.

"A-About time you slow bastard!" Lovino said weakly. He had braced himself for the worst.

"Heh, sorry!" Alfred said, smiling slightly before the other wolf was on him. He began to beat it with his fists, kicking as well in attempt to get the beast off. His head moved side to side, trying not to give the wolf a clear shot at his neck when suddenly the weight was off of him.

Alfred sat up in the damp grass, the bright moonlight shining on two wolves battling. Antonio had the upper edge, using the hills of the field to his advantage, yet there were many times he could have killed, but it didn't. The other however, was not holding back, it's green eyes seeming to be clouded in a dark shadow the longer the two fought.

Lovino could do nothing except yell encouragement to Antonio and curses to the other wolf, then a cry of worry when the larger one gained the upper hand on Antonio, the smaller one having recovered and calmly sitting on the side, watching like a spectator at a game.

Alfred ran forwards, charging at the large one as it pinned down Antonio when it stopped. Its ears twitched as it let out a loud howl, turning to the small one. They shared a moment, looking at each other and passing a soundless message before turning to Antonio, still pinned under the other but looking helplessly at the two wolves and watching as they bounded away, deeper into the forest.

Both Lovino and Alfred wore equal looks of horror and worry, each in their own stunned silence.

Alfred looked to Lovino, opening his mouth when Antonio rolled over, standing up on trembling legs and taking a few steps forwards before collapsing to the ground with a whimper.

"Antonio! Hold on, you bastard!" Lovino cried as he ran towards the wolf, his thought broken at the sight of Antonio's weak frame. Alfred followed, also worrying for the boy.

Antonio was badly hurt, blood pouring from various places. None looked extremely deep, but his fur was dark where blood was, the moonlight casting a soft glow on him as his form moved up and down slowly. His breathing was shallow, causing both boys to worry more.

"Chigi! These cuts are bleeding, but I can't treat them like this! I don't know how to treat a dog!" Lovino cried, his voice higher with worry as he frantically examined the wolf.

"Calm down Lovino, can't we just wrap them!?" Alfred said calmly, though inside he was also panicking.

"With what!?" Lovino said, rounding on Alfred and glaring at him. "Why are you trying to help, you said he was a monster a while ago! Run back to the school, or better yet to your mother instead of acting the damn hero!" Lovino said, this time though, it wasn't angrily. It was as though the boy's anger just collapsed, leaving room for his worry and fear to show. It came in the form of wet tears, running down his blood stained face, though it was Antonio's blood no doubt.

Alfred took a step back, looking at Lovino sadly. Was that what he thought?

"I remember when you looked at my brother, when you first met us! It's the same look those scientists gave us, every new intern that came into the damn building! You thought we were monsters! Stupid… Stupid American vampire bastard!" Lovino raged, but the tears falling down his face in rivers, made the rage seem more like sad desperation. He must have been was reliving a sour memory but with his friend bleeding freely on the grass, he was hysterical.

Alfred knew Lovino wasn't one for high-tension decisions. He could tell when he met the two boys. Lovino was the one who ran at the sight of a fight, yet he had stayed behind to help Antonio.

Taking a deep breath, Alfred raised his hands in a form of surrender as the Italian raged on, spewing insult after insult from his mouth.

For a moment, Alfred thought of his mother who often did that when he raged. She let him yell it out, raging until there was nothing left, and right now… It seemed the best option.

"Look, Lovino-" Alfred began, as the Italian boy's insults began to slow."I-I'm sorry. I really am. I know it's not enough to say it, but I am." He meant his words, he understood what Lovino was talking about, what the others were saying. All this time he wanted to go home and deny the fact that was staring him in the face.

"I- I wanted things to go back to normal. I didn't want to believe things had changed… I watch, and… I'm terrified, of horror movies. I thought things would be like that, and- and I wished they were, so I could lie to myself and believe it was just a bad dream." Alfred muttered, "I've been really stupid.. I've met everyone and they seem like honestly great people. Good friends if I can call them that, but, even so… They were monsters and I couldn't…"

It was foolish, Alfred knew that in the beginning, but it was just so hard to accept. How his live could have changed in one night. But when he thought about it; perhaps it was the same with others too? He didn't know; but the more time he spent here, the more he was starting to understand. At least a little.

Lovino looked down as Alfred trailed off, opening his mouth to retort with a rude comment before Alfred found his voice again. "But I guess I can't hold it off the truth any longer. I'm also… Different, I've noticed the speed and strength and… all the other things that come with it." He gestured at himself. "So… I'm sorry… I'm not being a hero because I feel like I have to; I'm being a hero for… For my friend, Antonio, whom I've known for less than two days, who's been really nice to me and who's a… Werewolf and saved my life twice." Alfred said, nearly saying monster but catching himself. It would take getting used to, but after this, he would try harder.

Lovino sighed, shutting his mouth and shaking his head before growling a bit. "Fine. I still hate you a lot, but if you're Antonio's friend, I have to put up with you." He muttered, which was as close as Alfred would get to _"Fine, I guess I forgive you, but you're not my friend! Yet…" _

Alfred smiled a bit and then knelt beside the two. Antonio had been whimpering for a bit but finally gained some strength, trying hard to stand as Lovino called to him to stop.

"Stop that stupid! Sit down, or lie down, or something! Stop moving; you're hurt, dammit!" He cried before jumping back at Antonio's growl.

Antonio turned his head, looking directly at Alfred. His eyes had changed from a bright green to a dull reddish-brown color.

"Chigi! Antonio, stop it! Alfred isn't a threat! Don't kill him yet!" Lovino cried, trying to call to the wolf as Alfred took a step back.

Alfred wanted to scoff, "_Yet"._ He thought, before taking another slow step back, the brown wolf coming closer. What was Antonio doing? "Dude, what the heck? I'm Alfred, the nice guy you met who untangled you from wires!" He said hesitantly as Antonio took another step closer.

Antonio simply snarled, crouching as though he was ready to spring.

_**He can't control what he does when he changes, and it varies how long he stays in that form.**_ Arthur's voice rang in Alfred's head as Antonio bared his teeth, still looking at Alfred. Immediately Alfred shivered in respone. The look in Antonio's eyes was pure beast. One false move and Antonio would spring on him.

"Chigi! It's his wolf instincts! Antonio can control it only for a certain amount of time!" Lovino said, running forwards as Antonio jumped.

"Stop! Stop bastardo! Don't attack your friends, Antonio!" Lovino cried desperately, catching the wolf in mid-jump and pushing him to the ground. Antonio began to fight back against the winged boy's hold, shaking back and forth as Lovino held on tightly. "Remember when Feli and I were with you that night? You changed but you wouldn't attack us, no matter what! You promised that you wouldn't attack your friends! Alfred is your friend, you can't attack him! Dammit, stop shaking!"

_**He has been working on exerting control, but I think without his friends, it would be difficult."**_Again, Arthur's voice repeated his spoken words in Alfred's head as he stood in shock, watching as Lovino was shaken back and forth like a doll.

"Y-Yeah! A few hours ago, you protected me, remember that Antonio! I-In the park, from that small werewolf! Just now you protected Lovino from them, right!" Alfred called, adding in to Lovino's words. He hoped that it would help; Lovino couldn't hold on much longer.

Antonio stopped, looking in Alfred's eyes. His eye color slowly changed, fading and melting into a dull green he lay down, covering his face with his paws. He let out a whimper of pain and defeat as Lovino sighed in relief, lying down on the grass next to Antonio. His legs and arms were scratched from being tossed against the ground.

"St-stupid bastard. Y-you…" Lovino sniffled, covering his eyes with his scratched arm. "Dammit, and we can't move you either. We're stuck here and we'll have to wait for help and you got blood all over me…" He trailed off, falling silent but shaking. Alfred didn't know if it was with relief or with sadness.

Alfred took a step back giving them space. He stayed silent as the moon began its slow journey across the sky, Antonio's whimpers and growls filling the quiet field as Lovino continued to say soft things in the wolfs ear, trying to keep him calm.

As he watched, Alfred was sure that this would be one of the few times he would ever see Lovino act so caring.

"_**Wow… So he changes and stuff? Like in the movies?" **_

"_**Yes, but it's far from cool, Alfred."**_

_You weren't lying Artie._ Alfred thought, looking up at the stars overhead.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Urgh, I'm late in updating! *failure* Sorry about that! I've been busy... D<strong>**oing extra homework and procrastinating! （ノT＿T)ノ＾┻━┻****  
><strong>

**Well, I hope that counts as some action? I feel like it probably falls short... That's the main action right there until the next arc. The rest is winding down and more prophecy. At least, I think there's more? I have to check that... (._. )**

**I'm excited though, I hope *for the moment* to write up to, I think, the third arc? That's got one of the action moments I'm looking forwards to writing~ I did say I had it all planned out! (●⌒∇⌒●) わーい**

**Now, about a request fic I was doing! It's about halfway done... I'm sorry it's taking so long! There's just so much to do here. I promise you it's gonna get done though! m(_ _)m**

**Anyways, there's so much to do... Writing, drawing, homework, computer programming, going out of the house to pick up some packages, eating, sleeping, doing chores... How does one fit all that into 24-hour days?! Erh... Somehow, since I've managed before... (*´ο`*)=3**

**Thanks for the reviews! You're all the best! I love your reviews... They make me happy to see someone is reading the fanfic and stuck with it... Thank you! ・゜゜・(/u＼*)・゜゜・ *Happy tears***

**Reviews are welcome! Flames will be used to prepare for the beginning of school! OnO *nervous* Sept 4th... I need to write before I have no time!**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	28. Intro Arc: Chapter 28: Innocent

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>They sat in the field for hours, Lovino still whispering to Antonio to keep him calm. Aafter what had to have been over five hours, Alfred decided to stand up and see if he could find something to bind Antonio's wounds. Of course, there's very little you can use when out in the middle of a field at night, so Alfred really just walked a couple of feet away before sitting on a log.<p>

"Hey Lovino, would the others be looking for us?" Alfred asked, looking around the field for a moment before turning to the boy and the wolf.

"I don't know… They wouldn't know where to find us. We're far into the forest. That glow over there is the town." He said bluntly, not bothering to look up from the sleeping wolf. He had managed to coax Antonio to rest, giving him a couple of half-hearted praises.

"Maybe I should go to the truck? Do you think anyone would be there?" Alfred asked, trying to figure something out. He didn't want to be stuck here forever, though things seemed to be pointing in that direction. It felt as though the entire night had passed by now. Time seemed to move slowly when sitting in a field doing nothing. However, if Antonio wouldn't change back until the next day, then they were definitely stuck here.

"I suppose. If anyone's there then let them know where we are, okay. I doubt you can mess that up, idiota." Lovino said, throwing in the name just to try and regain some of his normal angry self. In reality he sounded pretty tired, but at least he hadn't lost all of his pride.

Alfred smiled slightly, unnoticed in the darkness of the field. "Right, I doubt I'll screw that up." He muttered, spinning around and running in the direction of the town lights. As he ran however, he ended up tripping over something, falling face first in the grass.

"Ack, ouch! What the hell? Who puts tree logs in the middle of... the… field." Alfred trailed off as he realized that what he tripped on was no tree log.

In the dim light, it was clear that there were large branches, or more like, limbs, coming from the "log".

"Oh my god!" Alfred shrieked, hopping off the object. It wasn't easy to make out anything specific, since all he had was moonlight, but Alfred knew it was someone's body.

"Holy mother of- Gaaah!" Alfred cried; jumping backwards and rubbing his hands all over the grass, he touched it! He dropped on the grass, desperately rolling in attempt to remove the sticky liquid on his hands and clothes where he landed. He would vehemently deny that he felt a tiny tickle in his throat at the thought of the blood on the grass.

"Hey, shut up you bastard, you're going to wake Antonio!" Lovino called a few feet away.

"B-B-But there's bodies!" Alfred called, frantically pointing at the dark lumps on the ground. "I-I-I think they're dead!"

Lovino's eyes widened, shooting up from his sitting position next to Antonio and running over. "What?! That's crazy! Antonio wouldn't- Just.. What about the other werewolves?! Did they have blood on their mouth or something! Chigi! This is bad, what will I tell them?! What if they're not dead!"

"H-how would I know!" Alfred cried, panicking as Lovino shook him. "Stop shaking me! Besides! If they're alive then we wont get arrested for murder!"

"Th-The hell! No, that's not it! A-Antonio wouldn't! Argh, I don't know!" Lovino was really panicking, staring at the bodies. He took a step back when his eyes moved to another body just a few feet away. Instantly he began shaking.

"C-Cosa! Wha-"

"Oi! You gits, shut up!" An angry voice with a British accent called from overhead. Alfred almost got on his knees and cried out "Oh! Thank god!" before he realized how horribly ironic that would be.

Looking up, Lovino and Alfred saw Arthur, he was flying a few feet above them and trained a flashlight on the two boys as he lowered to the ground, his white toga-thing flapping in the wind.

"Hey Artie! You should wear some pants under your toga thing. What happened to your nice sweater vest?" Alfred said, opting to focus on the angel instead of the hysterical winged boy. He needed something calm or else he would instantly panic like Lovino was.

"Shut up! I've got boxers, git! These are my sleeping clothes! Feliciano, that bloody nuisance, barged into my room an hour ago, crying that his brother hadn't returned from the Food Run! Do you know what time it is right now!?" Arthur cried angrily, smacking Alfred on the head to further express his displeasure. "I had to go wake up the principals! No one does that! I'll be lucky if they don't suspend me! Do you know how hard it is to wake a sleeping Italian and his angry German friend! It's not sunshine and daisies!"

Alfred snickered at Arthur's choice of words before Lovino grabbed him again.

"You bastard! Stop laughing and help me prove Antonio's innocence! They'll kick him out if they think he killed those people!" Lovino cried, frantic tears in his eyes spilling over.

"Wha- bodies?!" Arthur said, stunned as he moved the flashlight around, training it on one of the dark lumps in the field. "B-Bloody hell!"

"Yes bodies! What do I do!" Lovino called, glaring at Arthur; no one seemed to be helping him.

"Uh, well, Principal Roma was just behin-"

"What's this I hear about bodies?" Principal Roma's voice cut through the field as everyone turned, watching the man walk towards them. He seemed to be wearing the same things as this afternoon, making Alfred wonder if he really was sleeping before this. "Why all the shouting?"

"Chigi! There's bodies here, but I swear Antonio didn't do it! It was the other two wolves, I know it! It had to be!" Lovino cried, standing next to Antonio protectively. Antonio meanwhile was woken by the loud shouting but was too weak to get up and merely looked at the others with nervous eyes.

"Hmm…" Principal Roma knelt down, examining the body before placing one hand on it.

Everyone recoiled and Alfred wondered why on earth Principal Roma would do something like that.

"Indeed, this one is deceased… But it seems that it was the other wolves that did the act…" Principal Roma muttered, standing up. He had a serious tone in his voice, no sign of the carefree voice he usually used. "But I don't understand… They're supposed to keep control over this area…" He mumbled, scratching his head.

"Pardon, sir?" Arthur asked, overhearing the Principal's muttering.

"Oh, nothing! Just some deep thin-"

Instantly the principal froze, staring blankly ahead and becoming unresponsive.

"S-Sir?" Arthur asked, waving his hand in front of Principal Roma's face, trying to get a reaction.

"Chigi, what's happening!" Lovino said, taking a step back.

"He- He's having a vision!" Alfred said, instantly recognizing this look. It was when Principal Roma had his other one, that day in the office.

"A wha-" Lovino cried in confusion, looking at the Principal.

"_**Light and dark will begin to fight, yet light is black and dark is white."**_ The words sounded like ice as they were spoken, the grim message conveyed to the students as they stood in the field.

"Wh-what does that mean?!" Lovino asked as the last word seemed to hang in the air. The principal's voice filled him with dread and he shuddered.

"I don't know. It sounds like a warning though." Arthur replied, confusion on his face.

"-king. Don't let it worry you." Principal Roma continued, as though the whole vision never happened.

Everyone stayed silent as Principal Germania ran into the field, going right up to Principal Roma and smacking him on the head. "You dumpkoff! Don't run off without me!"

"Ow… But Germania, Arthur had seen something. It seemed a good idea to follow. See, we found the students too!"

Germania frowned, looking at Alfred, Lovino and the wolf. Antonio whimpered and looked down, causing Lovino to crouch too and give the boy a gentle pat.

"Right. I want a good explanation as to why you boys are four hours late, in this field instead of at school, and standing with this werewolf and these- dead bodies?" for once, Principal Germania looked stunned, unable to speak.

"It wasn't Antonio!" Lovino said defiantly, before Germania flashed a level two glare at him.

"If not him, then who?" Germania asked, leaning down to get eye-level with Lovino who trembled slightly but held his ground.

"I-I might know them… I-I can't be sure. They are, mi amigos…"

Everyone looked towards the source of the voice. In place of the large brown wolf was a semi-recognizable boy, covered in scratches and cuts with a deep cut on his arm. His clothes were torn in various places but at least they were staying together.

"A-Antonio…" Lovino said, glaring at the boy.

"Lovi?"

"You idiota, stupid tomato bastard! What were you thinking!" Lovino cried angrily, glaring at the Spaniard and starting to beat him with his fists, though obviously not hard.

Antonio winced nonetheless but hugged Lovino instead of moved away. "Sorry Lovi…" He mumbled weakly. Lovino stopped and sniffled, mumbling profanities at Antonio as they sat on the field.

"How come he-?" Alfred mumbled before the rising sun came through the trees, hitting him in the eyes and momentarily blinding him.

"You boys have been out here for a long time. Don't you have a watch or something Alfred?" Principal Roma asked, stretching in the early morning sunlight.

"I- I don't actually." Alfred said; shocked at how so much time had passed. He never noticed.

"Wynnoa! Did we really have to walk this far?!" A man's voice called from in the trees, the bushes nearby shuffling.

"Oh bloody hell! Were on the hiking trails, this is a rest stop!" Arthur called, realizing exactly where they were.

"Quickly! Arthur, Lovino, fly up and meet us at the truck! Alfred, take Antonio and stick with me! Roma. Just do something useful!" Principal Germania said, pointing everyone in a direction. Roma pouted but nodded as Lovino and Arthur took off, Lovino casting a short worried glance at Antonio until he noticed Alfred watching and frowned, flipping him the bird before heading towards town in the growing sunlight. To Alfred, it looked like an angel with a bright halo in the dawn light and an angry, large raven with Lovino's black wings.

"Alfred, hurry! We can't linger!" Principal Germania said, motioning to Antonio as Alfred bent down to pick him up. The boy had fainted after Locino's beating and was out cold, making him seem heavier. Luckily for Alfred, his enhanced strength came in handy.

"I'm going to make a barrier around us; as long as you don't make a sound, nothing will happen. Understood?" Germania said, his hands moving forwards as the air around them seemed to shimmer and thicken. Alfred nodded, moving closer to the tall man as two figures emerged from the surrounding forest.

"Wynnoa, slow down!" A man emerged from the forest, wearing hiking gear as his partner joined him.

"Romeo, you're just too slow!" the woman said, leaning on her hiking pole.

"Geez, this field sure isn't well kept, it's all dug up." Romeo said, moving towards Wynnoa.

"Must be some city hooligans. They probably- What the hell is that!" Wynnoa cried, pointing directly at Alfred.

Alfred's breath caught, he had been staying silent so far, but he wondered if perhaps they had been caught?

"Keep quiet Alfred." Germania said, not looking at the boy. Sweat was rolling down his face as the two hikers approached.

"I-It looks like a body!" Romeo sad, shaking and coming closer.

Alfred then realized they had seen the bodies in the field, Germania already realizing the fact, cursed under his breath. "We didn't cover up the bodies." He hissed, watching as the hikers took some photos, as one called the emergency line.

"Alfred, I will let go of this barrier, the moment I do, run towards the trees. Head for the city and go straight to the truck. If I am not there within five minutes, you will leave without me. Understood?" Germania hissed, using his peripheral vision to see Alfred nod. "Then, go!"

Alfred felt the barrier drop, though there was no visible difference. Instantly the hikers gasped, Alfred looking at them for a split second before dashing into the forest, carrying Antonio.

_Crud, they saw me! That's bad, right?! Quick to the truck, the truck!_ Alfred's mind was screaming at him to go faster. He emerged from the forest and into the park, but to his dismay, the dawn light brought early park visitors. They turned to look at him, and what a sight they would see. A boy holding a scratched and beat up boy, knocked out in his arms.

Immediately, Alfred panicked, running towards the park entrance. He wasn't going nearly as fast as he wished until something strange happened.

The blue glow appeared, surrounding Alfred and flashed once, causing the closest bystander to cover her eyes as he felt himself speed up, almost flying. He didn't look back until he turned into the abandoned parking lot where they parked the truck. He was going so fast, it seemed like once he stopped he would fly forwards from force, yet he didn't, stopping right where he stood as the blue glow faded. He walked slowly towards the truck, Antonio still out cold. This guy could sleep!

_Heh, you know, you should have beaten those wolves senseless. They were hurting your friend, right? _The voice said, louder than ever. Alfred fought to keep from yelling out loud. He couldn't have, he didn't even know who they were to begin with, and…

_There's nothing stopping you from doing so. You know who they are. You saw them. The_ voice replied. Faintly, Alfred could hear Arthur and Lovino approaching him, but their voices were quiet in comparison to his own thoughts. He thought back, memories flashing before his eyes until they stopped on that small girl with the headband and the tall guy. The ones he saw that night when they first arrived in the parking lot.

_That's them. You know their faces, why not look for them? _The voice coaxed, making Alfred shift slightly, his feet preparing to turn around.

"No!" Alfred cried out, breaking the hold on his body. It wasn't strong to begin with, but fear flooded up from within himself as he remembered his dream. The voice backed off, growling at the loss of power before slinking back wherever it rested.

"Excuse me?!" Arthur frowned, stopping in front of Alfred. "I was trying to help you, you bloody git! I said I'll carry Antonio, but if your so against it then-"

"No! I meant, uh… No… way… could you carry Antonio! Yeah!" Alfred said, catching himself.

"What! I'll have you know I may not have vampire strength but carrying a seventeen year old boy is of no difficulty for me!" Arthur said, glaring at Alfred and marching forward.

"Back off you limey! I'll take him!" Lovino cried, walking up to Alfred and grabbing Antonio, marching back to the truck.

"Or that would work." Alfred said, glad his arms were free. He rubbed his head for a moment, as though making sure the voice was definitely gone.

"Alfred? Where's Germania?" Principal Roma asked, approaching the pair of students.

"He said that if he didn't come five minutes after I did, to go without him." Alfred replied.

"Hmm, alright…" Principal Roma said, tilting his head up before tossing Alfred some keys. "Get everyone back to the school. Antonio needs some good first-aid and everyone needs a rest. I'll go find Germania. You can do that, right Alfred?" Roma asked, eyeing Alfred. "Take charge?"

Alfred felt stunned, no one had ever entrusted him to take charge of anything. Still, if Principal Roma trusted him then. "Y-Yes sir! I-I'll get them there, but-"

"Arthur will tell you the way, right?" Principal Roma asked, looking at the angel next to him.

"Wha- Fine!" Arthur said, frowning and muttering something about babysitting duty.

"Great, I'm counting on you guys to get Antonio to the first-aid room and the groceries to the kitchen!" Principal Roma said, waving them off before running towards the park.

Alfred gulped, looking at the keys as Arthur raised one giant eyebrow in confusion. "You do know how to drive, right?"

Alfred nodded "Yeah, but I just got my license a few months ago! I've never driven a truck."

Arthur groaned and smacked his hand to his face as Lovino smacked his hand on the truck horn, waiting for the two boys to hurry up. Antonio wasn't going to get any better with everyone standing around.

"Hurry up bastards! Someone needs to drive the damn truck!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: My computer returneths! *cries* I have more chapters written on my book and I've gotta type up the RussiaFem!Latvia Fic! It will be out soon! I promise! There's just so much school work. (;7;)**

**Ohh... Bodies... Should I make this story M rated now... It's not too graphic, right? Ohh... *worries* But do you know who those hikers were? They were actually Hetalia characters~ Most people you see are based on Hetalia Characters~ I like trying to make everyone get included.**

**Phew, so a little more excitement later, not action-y; this arc is slowly ending. I should work on Ivan's character story soon... *rubs hands together evily***

**Oh my; such a long time since an update. Did this long chapter help? I bet I lost a bunch of readers... Stupid virus! *sobs* but I hope someone reads this chapter... I just have to hope! *epic face* I will never give up on this story! *epic face again***

**Thanks to you reviewers, and favoriters and alerters and everyone who actually stuck with this story for so long! I love you all! *tears and hugs and cookies* For the really daring readers! Have some cheese and chive scones! They're tasty, and no England didn't bake them. *I did BD***

**Reviews are welcomed! Flames wil be used to burn England wannabes scones. *The kids in the next unit made England-like scones ._.")***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	29. Intro Arc: Chapter 29: Connection

_I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does._

Driving a truck was a lot harder than Alfred thought, what with Arthur yelling at him every turn.

"You idiot! You missed the turn! Argh, watch out for the crosswalk! Did you even see the stop sign?!" the angel screamed, his fingers clinging to the dashboard.

"Geez Artie, calm down, I know what I'm doing!" Alfred said, making a sharp turn left. "At least I don't drive like an Italian; have you seen how they drive?"

"Hey, stupid bastard! I heard that! I drive just fine!" Lovino called, rapping his fist from behind the small window separating the front of the truck with the back. "Now hurry up! Antonio is still bleeding!"

Arthur grumbled at the Italian's outburst but sat straighter, reluctantly letting go of the dash board.

"Okay, listen. Left here, right over there and follow the dirt path; got that?" Arthur said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "If I wasn't supposed to show you the way, I could be in bed right now." he muttered as Alfred carefully followed the directions.

_At least we aren't in England,_ Alfred thought.

He heard they drive on the other side of the road.

Upon arrival, Alfred saw three shapes come into view and Arthur recognized them immediately.

"It's Matthew and- Huh? The principals are there too?" Arthur stated; the questioning tone in his voice wasn't missed. He was wondering how the two top faculty members of the school got there fast than they did.

Alfred squinted his eyes; his vision was a bit blurry from lack of sleep as he used one hand to rub them. "Oh, yeah! You're right, it is them!" he said, taking his hands off the wheel and waving as the truck pulled into the school gates.

"Argh! Hand's on the wheel idiot!" Arthur cried, grabbing hold of the steering wheel before they could run into the nearby shrubs.

"Hey! You bastards, watch your driving!" Lovino shouted from the back as he rubbed his arm where he got thrown into the side of the truck. Some people…

"Whoops. Sorry guys!" Alfred said, placing his hands back on the wheel as he pulled the truck to a stop. "We're finally back at school though!" he added cheerfully.

"About time you vampire bastard! Your driving is awful! Now whe-"

"Welcome back!" Principal Roma greeted, having walked to the truck while the others were distracted.

Alfred jumped out of the truck, shutting the door as Arthur did the same. The sun was up now, nearing noon time. Alfred let out a yawn as Arthur dusted off his clothes, trying not to look like he was only minutes ago, scared for his life due to a crazy American's inability to drive.

"Erh, Principal Roma, dude." Alfred said, scratching his head in confusion. "How did you get here so-"

"Fast? I took a taxi with Germania! The taxi driver was sure fast. Too bad we had to commandeer a taxi from a cute bella. She has my number though, so- Ack!"

Principal Germania walked behind Principal Roma, bringing his fist down on his partners head. "Pay attention."

"Ouch, that hurts Germania." Principal Roma said, rubbing his head as he sighed. "Anyways, the situation has changed boys. I will need to discuss with Germania. I would like to see you four later today. I'll call on you, alright?"

"What situation?" Arthur asked, sneaking behind Alfred while he was watching the Principals and causing the vampire to spin around suddenly, smacking Arthur in the head.

"Argh! You bloody git! What the hell was that for!" Arthur yelled, holding his head as his eyebrows turned down in the most serious glare Alfred had ever seen.

"Dude! Don't sneak up on me! I've got fast vampire reflexes!" Alfred said, "Sorry though. You okay?"

"I wi-"

"Ah, I will explain the situation later today. I'm sorry I can't say anything more right now." Principal Roma said apologetically, "Why don't you two get rest? Germania will help Lovino get Antonio to the First Aid room."

Arthur nodding before sending Alfred another glare, watching as the Principals made a hasty departure towards the school. "I'm heading to the dorms then. Coming?"

Alfred nodded sheepishly as Arthur huffed and began walking away. "Hurry up then."

Matthew chose this moment to float in front of Alfred. Once again, he was forgotten amongst the madness, Alfred nearly cried out in surprise when he heard the soft, whispery voice and saw the pale figure of his brother appear in front of him. "So what happened Al?"

Alfred sighed, rubbing his head as he slowly followed Arthur, looking drowsily at Matthew. "A lot."

Matthew floated next to Alfred, nodding silently. "I kind of know, actually. I used our link to see a few of the memories." he admitted.

Alfred looked at Matthew confused. "Link?"

Matthew frowned; did his brother forget already? "Remember that first day you came? I said I had made a link with you? I could tell something was after you?"

Alfred nodded in response, keeping quiet as Matthew explained.

"Well, I did it again before you left. I was worried, that's all. Though, I didn't mean to. When you left, I didn't notice it actually, not until the middle of the night when I woke up from a dream. I could see some eyes in a bush, and it was in a park. I woke up as they charged, so, I just assumed…"

"That was when the werewolf attacked me!" Alfred said loudly, causing some students nearby to look at the two. Alfred lowered his voice a bit as Matthew rolled his eyes. His brother wasn't very good at keeping silent.

"I figured as much. When Feliciano woke up, he knocked at my door first. He told me Lovino had complained about going on the Food Run with you. He wondered if you had returned and when I said no, he got worried. We went to Arthur and well, you kind of know the rest." Matthew said, "It's really odd. That connection, like I can see in your mind or something. After Arthur and the Principals left, I went back to our room. I was worried and wondered what was happening, then I was just… I was there, and watched it happen. Like a movie playing in front of my eyes"

"Woah! Wait, so, you invaded my privacy!?" Alfred stated in shock, putting things in some sort of jumbled puzzle. What he understood was, his brother jumped in his head and could see what he was seeing and doing? To him it would have been cool, if not for that recent dream when he almost lost control of his body.

"Wha- Well, maybe. Kind of. But I-"

"Oh. My. God." Alfred said suddenly, realizing something even more strange-slash-amazing. "Matthew just invaded someone's privacy! My brother just did something kind of bad! He peeped!" Alfred called, flailing his arms. "I never thought I'd live to see the day!"

Matthew frowned, looking at his brother with cold eyes in hopes of being intimidating. It didn't work of course, Alfred still flailed and Matthew still frowned. Still this was serious and Matthew tried to gain his brothers attention again. "Al, that's not the point. The point is that you were nearly killed! You also got on Lovino's bad side and even worse, the Principals are involved. You've gotten yourself in a mess of trouble Al. I'm worried about wh-"

"-I mean, woah! Mattie, you've like, had some tantrums and you've once beaten those hockey dudes when they cheated and won the game. You've even raised your voice a few times-"

"Alfred!" Matthew cried in anger and exasperation as his brother continued to ramble on, trying to get his attention.

"Yeah! Like that! You- Oh, you're giving me a really mean looking glare. Uh, what was it you were saying?" Alfred asked, quickly shutting his mouth as Matthew sent him a look. His glowing, ghostly features seemed to intensify his annoyed face as he heard his brother sigh. Alfred just had a calm grin on his face.

"Nothing. Just be more careful. You're not invincible and you were lucky with those werewolves. You, Antonio, and Lovino." Matthew said, his matter-of-factly tone making Alfred huff.

"Yeah, I know." Alfred replied; waiting as the stairs to the Upper dorms assembled. Arthur had already flown up to the dorms, not wanting to wait. Together the brothers climbed up the many flights of stairs in silence before Alfred broke it. "You worry a lot Mattie."

"I'm just being careful. Something you're not putting much effort in!" Matthew said, standing aside as Alfred opened the large Upper Dorm doors.

Alfred stayed silent for a moment, before sighing and grinning. "I know. Oh, by the way, Principal Roma wanted to see me later. He was gonna explain some stuff, so could ya wake me up in a bit, Mattie?" Alfred asked as they traversed through the many halls of the upper dorm.

Matthew floated in front of Alfred, knowing his brother was lost in these hallways. He just wouldn't admit it. He frowned as he moved though, "What am I, your personal alarm?" he asked, though his head was nodding in an up and down motion, in a yes, despite his reluctant tone.

"'Cause you're my awesome brother and I know you wouldn't say no." Alfred grinned. Matthew grumbled as Alfred opened the door to their shared room. Once in, Alfred collapsed on the bed, completely exhausted and already asleep before his head could hit the pillow.

Matthew watched as Alfred dropped on the bed, listening to his brother snore.

"Tsk… It's not easy, but someone has to look out for you, Al. It's what brothers do." He mumbled.

**Authors Note:**

**Phoey! I'm late in updates… Rats, I thought I would be more on top of this. I finally got around to typing this chapter out. It's all on paper! No wonder poets and authors owned typewriters..**

**Sorry for the lateness, I'm so busy in school. Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, Physics… Everything is so much… *dies* Updates may be a tad late, but rest assured there will be some! Hrm… My parental is going out for a whole week. I'm home alone! *makes shocked face* Well, I've got cooking skills that are hopefully better than Arthur's, so it should be okay! *Erh, but I don't feel like I'm old enough for this... :S Any tips... OTL* Hopefully then I can at least write a bit more. 83**

**So, not much to say about this chapter. I figured it's time to be mellow until the next small part comes to play, and a few things are revealed for the next arc. Were nearly there! *I say that too often…* (^o^")**

**The hikers were actually Wy and Seaborga! I had to add them in somehow, but I couldn't think of a long-lasting role for them. For now, they are hikers. Maybe I can make them randomly appear later. As for the wolves, that is still secret, but I'm sure you guys know by now.**

**Hehe, I have so much planned, it's what's driving me forwards on this story. (¬u¬)**

**Now, one thing I need to say is, that request fic? It's gone! Darned computer, technicians, recycling pickup! I don't know how, but I can't find any traces of it! I remember it for the most part, so I'll re-write it. It's taking so long, I'm so sorry. It will be up soon! I will write it if it kills me! *flails like Alfred did***

**Anyways, thanks to the alerts and subscribers and favoriters! Special thank-yous to all of you guys for the kind reviews! You're so wonderful… Some people have told me I'm a great writer in the reviews and others have said my stories are great in other story reviews *I can't believe I have five stories out.* You guys…*sniffles* (;~; ) *hugs you all* **

**Reviews are loved and will be put on a pedestal. Flames will be the light that makes the reviews shine brighter! Flames are mere cinders! (¬_¬)**

***tosses out cupcakes and cookies and poofs in mystical smoke***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	30. Intro Arc: Chapter 30: Allred and Alfie

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

* * *

><p>"Welcome back."<p>

Alfred looked around, seeing nothing but a red-grey fog around him; just like last time, only it felt more sinister. Suffocating. The only light was from somewhere above him, but the red haze made everything dark. Like thick clouds on a sunny day,

"What… Where am I now?" Alfred groaned, his head turning every which-way. He couldn't even tell what direction was up.

"This, is my place." A low voice called. Alfred's head immediately snapped in the direction of the voice as his eyes made out a shadowy figure approaching and emerging from the haze.

Standing a few feet in front of Alfred was… Alfred. That is to say, it kind of looked like him.

The Alfred in front of him wore his usual brown jacket and a pair of blue jeans; glasses perched on his nose. However, this Alfred's eyes were a bright red and his hair was a dark red-brown shade. HE smiled down at Alfred as he shivered, blue eyes meeting red as a feeling of dread washed over him.

"Welcome~"

Alfred stood shakily, not taking his eyes off the strange counterpart. He didn't trust this guy, and he wouldn't let his guard down for a moment.

"Y-Your home?" Alfred inquired.

The other Alfred nodded, "Yep, this is the place where He, stuck me." He replied bitterly. His red eyes seemed to flash in the dim light.

"H-He?"

"Well, you and Him, but tsk tsk," the other Alfred shook his head in disapproval, looking at Alfred. "I would have thought you remembered more from last time, Alfred."

Alfred gulped nervously, he couldn't recall much, actually. So he chose to keep silent instead, allowing the other Alfred to speak.

"I refer to Alfie as Him. Little brat won't call me by my own name, so why bother with his?" He said annoyed, thinking of the many times. For a split second, Alfred thought the area around him seemed to darken; the air becoming thick, but it brightened a second later as the other Alfred focused his attention back on him. "You on the other hand, can call me Allred."

Alfred gasped, remembering the voice of that little boy from yesterdays dream. Or was it today? Was there even time here?

It was strange. Alfred couldn't remember the boy until Allred mentioned him; like the place was putting a heavy fog over his mind that only Allred could lift.

"You're very persistent Alfred. Each time I talk to you, you put up a tough fight. It's tiring actually. This time however, I will succeed." Allred said, smiling as the world around them grew darker, almost black. The fog over his mind seemed to grow thicker; heavier. Somehow, among the thick haze that seemed to cloud his senses, he could see himself walking forwards slowly.

_No! Not again,_ Alfred thought, panicking and trying to stop.

Allred grinned. He could see the fear in Alfred's eyes. It was delicious.

Alfred tried hard to get his feet to co-operate but they wouldn't listen, still moving towards Allfred.

Within a minute, Alfred was face to face with Allred, whom laughed triumphantly.

"Too easy. When you're in my place Alfred, I have more power." Allred said, his voice lower now. Alfred looked up in recognition, though his head wouldn't co-operate, his eyes did.

"You… You're the voice." Alfred said, his will breaking through enough to use his mouth. It almost surprised him, hearing his own voice.

"Yes, and you're the annoying boy who has an annoying conscience and too many good morals. I'm the guy who's trying to get you to do the right thing, but if you're going to be difficult, I'll have to take over by force." Allred said. His tone was bored, as though this wasn't very fun. He raised his hands, reaching forwards and placed them on each side of Alfred's head.

A sudden pain shot through Alfred, starting at his head and moving down his spine. He wanted to move away from the pain, to turn and run, or to fight back, but his body wouldn't respond as it continued to stand still. Alfred could feel something press against the walls of his mind, probing at first, but then attacking like a battering ram.

"It's useless to fight it. Let me take over for a while, you would get your body back eventually anyways." Allred said.

The attack against Alfred's mind grew stronger as Allred's words reached his ears. His senses were in overdrive, the smallest sound reaching him, the slightest movement Allred made wasn't missed as he continued to gain control. Alfred could feel his walls beginning to crack and grow weaker with each mental shove.

Alfred couldn't hold Allred back any more; it was too much. He was still exhausted from recent events, but before the pain could consume him, it stopped all together.

Feeling his legs give out, Alfred dropped to the ground. Now he felt like he was underwater, the loudest sounds just barely reaching him as his mind struggled to stay together. He heard Allred curse, but all he could do was roll on his back and watch the scene unfold above him; his mind struggling to reconnect with his body.

"You! You know better than to step into my place!" Allred said angrily, his eyes fixed on the boy standing a few feet away.

The boy looked exactly like Alfred did when he was six, with small differences only vampire eyes could catch. His eyes were the bright, sky-blue like Alfred's but just a touch lighter. His hair was similar too, only paler. He wore a plain cowboy-like ensemble; something Alfred was extremely fond of back then. When the boy spoke, it was bright and full of energy.

"Allred! You weren't supposed to directly interfere!" The boy called, frowning.

"He's in my place, Alfie." Allred replied, spitting the name in displeasure. Thinking back, Alfred thought Allred didn't use that name? Maybe because Alfie did, he felt obliged?

"There are no rules about my place." Allred said smugly.

Alfie frowned, then smiled triumphantly. "Fine, then there are no rules about me taking him to my place!" Allred said, running over and kneeling down; placing his hand on Alfred.

Allred growled, walking forwards to sop them, but they were already gone.

"I'll get him yet, Alfie. You won't stop me." Allred's voice followed them as the boys disappeared, echoing in their minds as they appeared in a new place.

* * *

><p>There was still nothing but a haze surrounding him, only this was a light grey with a purple tinge. However, to Alfred, it felt a million times better than the other place. There was no heavy, suffocating feeling around him and his mind actually felt clearer.<p>

Alfie frowned as the voice faded, then turned to face Alfred. "I told you not to come back." He said pointedly.

Alfred struggled to his feet, having been lying down through the whole ordeal. Hi head was reeling, making him stumble a bit before he righted himself. He was only a little shocked at the large height difference, kneeling down to make things more even.

"It's not my choice, little dude." Alfred said, rubbing his head. The pain in his body hadn't yet worn off, but it felt more intense near his head. "I didn't wanna be attacked by a crazy guy who looks like me but is as evil as a villain in a comic. Thanks for the help though."

"Yeah! I'm the hero!" Alfie said, almost on impulse. He raised a fist, jumping once as Alfred chuckled.

"Hero? Well, I guess so. You did save me." Alfred said, somewhat teasingly. Alfie reminded him of, well, himself. More than Allred did that is.

Alfie quickly stopped, trying to look more composed as he cleared his throat. "A-Anyways! You can't be in here! You'll get stuck here. It's not safe here either. I can't get you out forever, its harder and harder for me, each time you come."

"I don't know how to control my visits." Alfred said exasperatedly, 'If it were my choice I wouldn't come here again! I don't even know where here is!"

Alfie looked at Alfred confused. "But you can't tell? We're inside you!"

Alfred looked at him confused, then around the area. Nothing but grey haze as far s the eye can see. "Whaa?! No! Then where's the blood veins and organs! My heroic self cannot just be an empty shell!" he cried. Not that he wanted to see blood veins and organs, but if there weren't any blood veins and organs, what was inside him? Were scientists wrong?

Then again, Alfred wasn't even sure why he accepted the idea of being inside him at all. Maybe it just made sense. After all, he's heard Allred's voice in his head, so why not?

Alfie sighed, "No, were in your subcun- sobcun-" he tripped over the word, trying hard to say it.

"Subconcious?" Alfred asked, noticing the boy's troubles.

Alfie nodded, "Yeah! Allred is part of your sobconcious."

The thought of Allred being a part of his mind was not an idea Alfred liked to entertain. That meant the guy would always be there!

Opening his mouth to respond, Alfred was going to ask something until-

"Alfred, wake up!"

-Matthew's voice cut through the haze, Alfie going in and out of focus for a moment as Matthew's voice faded.

"Hmm, your bother is looking for you." Alfie said, looking up. "You should go."

Alfred shook his head, still confused. He had questions! "But what if I come ba-"

"I've been trying to keep you out, but you'll come back eventually. Only when you're ready though, since you can't just leave Allred here forever. He's gonna be mad though. He keeps getting stronger." Alfie sighed, "but I'll be okay! I'm the hero!"

Alfred laughed at Alfie's enthusiasm, patting the boy on the head. Alfie laughed, his laughter bright and cheerful. It made Alfred feel lighter, until Matthew's voice called for him again.

"I'll send you back, but don't think about this place when you sleep. Block your mind! Stay out as long as you can." Alfie said, taking a step back as his image faded and reappeared. Matthew's voice was getting louder now.

Alfred nodded as light streamed in his eyes as he awoke.

"_Be careful!"_

Alfred didn't know if he had said that to Alfie, of if Alfie said that to him, but he knew that either way, they would both need to tread carefully from now on.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hurr… We finally met the man behind the voice! It's funny, but in the beginning I was going to have just a mean Alfred as the voice, but the 2P self actually fit pretty well! Thank you Hima-Sensei for making the 2Ps~ (^7^)<strong>

**Allred and Alfie will be mentioned a bit more, but the focus isn't going to be on them. They're there to help the plot though. I'm aiming for a really complex-****but-hopefully-easy-to-follow**** story. All that's left now is to get things together and then we can start on the real enemy. Ufufufu *smiles a Russia smile***

**Gosh I say that too much… I swear, it's gotta be annoying to people. If I do that more, I owe you all tasty cupcakes. (=.=")**

**Well then, time to mention something important! I'll be away for the next week, so I'm afraid the next chapter won't be up until sometime in mid October. That's about right. I'm off on an extended Thanksgiving holiday *I'd rather stay at school though... I'm so unappreciative... (;n; )* but I'll do my best to keep writing on paper! Hrm… Speaking of, I should start typing the next parts up… So lazy. *Insert Italy – Greece like laziness here.***

****Aside from that, I didn't proofread! I'm sorry for any spelling and grammar! I'm so busy today, rushing around t finish last-minute work and pack. Sorry! ****

**Thanks to all the favorites! All the reviews… Everything! You readers are the best! I hope you know that! (;u; ) **

**Update on that request fic *Seriously considering committing seppuku; I am just so slow with it…* I will be proofreading it and hopefully submit it before I leave! Thank you for being so patient!**

****Quick shameless advertising time! I finished the Fem!Latvia/Russia fanfic! It's up on my published stories called "Wait For Me, My Little Sunflower" Take a peek if you're in to that pairing! *If you feel like it :3*****

**Reviews are awesome, be a Prussia and review! Kesesese~ Flames are as evil as England's cooking, unless they were supported with constructive-criticism icing. So please think before you flame. (=7=)9**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	31. Intro Arc: Chapter 31: Heavy Reality

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

* * *

><p>"Al, wake up or I'll get the swamp monster to come in here." Matthew deadpanned, frowning as he watched his brother's unmoving figure on the bed. He had been trying to wake Alfred up for the past fifteen minutes. Really, his brother was such a deep sleeper.<p>

Matthew sighed in relief when Alfred finally opened his eyes. Technically, it wouldn't have been hard to find the swamp monster; the smell he gave off was very strong. It was getting him here would be hard, since the swamp monster tended to forget his existence. Like everyone else did.

"Oh good, you're up." Matthew said, rubbing his neck nervously. Absently, he wondered how his hand didn't go through his body, but then again, there were a lot of abnormalities he wondered about.

For example, Matthew wondered why Alfred looked so pale. Sure he was a vampire, but this pale seemed like a nervous one. Something you only got when you were terrified. During the time Alfred was sleeping, Matthew was working in the room, or at least trying. Alfred was tossing and turning in his sleep. At one point, he actually sat up and turned to Matthew as though he was going to say something. However, a moment later, he fell back down into bed, still asleep.

_Something must be on his mind._ Matthew thought. _Maybe I should ask him about it?_

"Oh, afternoon Mattie!" Alfred said, yawning.

"Al, is something wrong?" Matthew asked, feeling more anxious as Alfred used a casual tone to greet him. Could his brother not feel the sweat that was clear on his forehead?

Matthew sighed, shaking his head. "Al, it's almost six. It's evening."

Alfred gasped, his eyes widening.

"Eh? Al, what happened?" Matthew asked, growing alert. Was Alfred going to tell him something important? Did he remember something, or see something? His brother's face was showing complete horror, causing Matthew's worry to spike.

"Mattie…" Alfred started.

"What is it Al?"

"I missed lunch AND dinner!" Alfred wailed, falling back on the bed and rolling on his stomach, burying his head in a pillow and sniffling.

Now Matthew wasn't the violent one, a fact that was intensified with his latest development because he couldn't even touch someone, but he could at least use objects. Pick them up or make them float with weird ghostly powers, and beat someone with them. Just another abnormality.

Following the latter, Matthew levitated the other pillow on the bed, bringing it down on the sobbing vampire.

"Ah! Hey! Mattie! Oof! What are you- Gah! Stop it!" Alfred said, in between hits.

Matthew couldn't help but smile as his brother tried to protect his face, grabbing his own pillow and raising it before the door to the room slammed open.

In the doorway stood Arthur, changed from his dress-like night time ensemble and now in a more casual dress shirt and pants. He stared at the two as he took in the scene, eyebrows raised in surprise at catching the boys doing something so juvenile before they lowered in a slight frown.

"I hope you weren't planning to throw that Alfred, it will go right through Matthew and probably break something." Arthur said apprehensively, the evening glow from the nearby window seeming to intensify the reprimanding look on his face as he looked at Alfred. "Now let's go. Principal Roma is ready to see us."

Alfred's smile of enjoyment turned into a sad frown as he realized Arthur was right as he placed the pillow on the bed, the other already lowered by Matthew. Sure it was true, but neither would have cared, both know it, but anything nearing the norm was nice; like a breath of fresh air. The mood in the room seemed to plummet, like a bungee jumper without the springy cord to raise the mood again.

"Nice mood killer, Arthur." Alfred said, getting off the bed and putting his shoes on, silently passing Arthur as he left the room.

Arthur spluttered at the sudden change of tone, running after Alfred and leaving Matthew behind.

"Yeah… Nice mood killer Arthur." Matthew said, even though no one was around to hear him. He looked at the floor sadly. There was a tiny carpet under his feet, and, though it was such a small comfort, he wished he could feel the soft fuzz from the dull colored carpet.

There were very few times that Matthew managed to forget just how… Invisible, he was. It was nice, to forget it and feel somewhat normal, but then reality would always crash down on him like a ton of bricks on wood, leaving a cracked; splintered feeling inside of him.

The door opened suddenly, causing Matthew to look up. In walked a small, wispy figure, bright white fog floating off his little polar bear-cub body in tendrils.

"O-Oh, hi Kuma- um… Kumatachi?" Matthew asked in a questioning manner. For some reason, he just couldn't remember his polar bear friend's name.

Matthew sighed and looked down at the floor sadly. Who was he expecting, Alfred? Arthur? Maybe just someone who remembered; be it Alfred who noticed that he didn't follow or Arthur who finally remembered him for more than a few minutes.

"Maybe next time, he'll talk to me more." Matthew muttered, thinking about Alfred as he sat on the bed solemnly. He tried his best to be optimistic, but the words didn't seem to reach him.

Kumajiro waddled over to Matthew, stopping at the edge of the bed, waiting.

Matthew grumbled but his mouth turned up in a tiny smile as he leaned down to pick up Kumajiro, placing the bear on his lap. He knew the bear had no trouble getting on the bed and although he was fairly lazy, Matthew knew the real reason why he needed the help.

Kumajiro turned in Matthew's lap, his dark eyes meeting Matthew's. Matthew stared into the white eyes of his bear, every part of them was more or less white; even eyes.

_Mine used to be a light violet,_ Matthew thought, patting Kumajiro's head.

"Thank you Kuma." Matthew said, using a nickname. He still couldn't remember his furry companion's name. "You know how to make an invisible guy feel somewhat useful, even if it's just for getting on a bed."

Kumajiro placed a paw on Matthew's head, "Who are you?"

"I'm Matthew!" Matthew said. Aside from lifting one's spirits, the bear also know how to dampen and crush them too. "Geez, can you sto-"

"Don't forget that." Kumajiro said, interrupting Matthew.

Matthew stopped his would-be rant, standing with Kumajiro in his arms.

What a friend… "Let's go to the school roof; watch the sunset for a moment."

Kumajiro stayed quiet, but Matthew knew it was just a silent agreement, floating down through the floor.

Initially he was going to go with Alfred. Principal Roma had actually remembered him to mention that he was welcome to come, but by now it was probably too late. He didn't want to bother them. Perhaps later he would go to the First Aid room; visit the doctor and get his hands and mind busy.

Instead, Matthew decided to take some quiet time to think, the school roof being one of his favorite places. He had a lot on his mind right now.

Ever since coming here, and even before, Matthew always had plenty of quiet time. No one seemed to remember him long enough to hang out with him or keep up a conversation. In other words, all his time was quiet.

"Oh well… At least this time, it's by choice." Matthew said, trying to sound optimistic and failing miserably. He sunk lower and lower, the school in his line of sight and growing larger and he came closer.

To Matthew, it felt as though he was lowering faster than usual, as though the heavy, sad thoughts in his mind were, quite literally, weighing him down.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Ugh, filler! Laaaamme. *dodges tomatoes* Spain would cry at the waste! *hides*<strong>

**I'm so sorry, almost two weeks! Ugh… I haven't stopped writing; but there's a lot I need to get done too. School… But I will keep writing, the updates may be a little sketchy. It's the more busy time of the school year… OTL But I promise this will be updated still, I've got a lot written on paper!**

**Canada: You've been lazy though; you haven't typed it up.**

**Me: =3= Boo. At least I'm still writing.**

**Canada: But you've got the energy to pick up a pencil and write but not hold a notepad and push a few keys?**

**Me: =3= . . . Well… The story isn't on my top priorities these days… Not failing my classes has taken a higher tier. ;n; *Sobs***

**Canada: A-Ah, don't cry!**

**Canada is my conscience. I swear he is. :I *Probably sounds somewhat crazy…* **

**Anyways, poor Canada, I don't mean to be so mean to him. Everything I write about him, I think, "Gee, he's a ghost… That must be sucky… *Imagines all that can go wrong with being a ghost*" But I know what will happen later. 83 In the uh… Third arc… Nuts I gotta write more…**

**I'm thinking of doing the NaNoWriMo though. Only, that means this story gets a serious backseat until the end of November… Would readers mind? I don't mind if they do; it helps me sort my priorities. This story is important~ **

**So then, one more chapter done. I'm excited for the next couple, 'cause I get to bring them together and put an end to the intro arc. Yay~ ^7^~ **

**I think my chapters are too short… (.n.") *looks at the 31 chapters***

**Thanks to the reviews! *tosses cupcakes* and for subscriptions and faves~ You're all the best; I hope you know it. ;D Even the readers *Don't worry, you don't have to review to be awesome ;D***

**Reviews are welcome, flames will burn this homework so I have an excuse for its lateness. Putting the ashes together. (.n.")**


	32. Intro Arc: Chapter 32: Eyes

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Slow down, git! Don't rush off like that!" Arthur called, catching up to the American with a quick flap of his wings. Alfred was walking awfully fast; did something happen?<p>

Alfred spun around, his eyes seemed to flash from blue to red, then blue again causing Arthur to stop in surprise as he opened his mouth to say something when Alfred interrupted.

"Look Arthur, I don't- I mean, Mattie doesn't need to be reminded that he is not fully there. That he is see through and I can't give him a high-five in excitement, or a hug when he's sad, or-"

Again, Alfred's eyes flashed red, causing Arthur to take a cautious step backwards and raise his hands in a submissive gesture. Alfred stepped forwards, causing Arthur to back up into a wall; here he was trapped and Alfred didn't seem to be in any mood to let him free.

"Better yet, he doesn't need you-" Alfred voice was low, almost menacing.

"A-Alfred, just calm down!" Arthur said hastily, though softly, as he tried to soothe Alfred. The vampire was actually making him feel nervous; and this strange eye-color changing thing. It definitely wasn't normal.

Upon hearing Arthur's voice, the red in Alfred's eyes slowly faded back into a light blue. He gasped softly, taking a step back from Arthur.

"A-Arthur? I-I-" Alfred placed a hand on his head, looking down at the floor. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what that-"

Arthur shook his head at the American's confusion, trying to gather his wits. "I-It's fine. Let's just head to the office, okay?" he said, though his voice wavered for a moment. He shivered thinking of that look Alfred had given him, his eyes were a bright red, yet they had been cold as ice. For a moment, Arthur thought Alfred was going to attack him. What was with the lad today? Such a strange change upon a few hours of sleep.

Both boys kept silent as they exited the forms and climbed down the stairs, the silence continuing as they walked outside, along the path to the school.

They were halfway to the school when Arthur decided to break the silence. "Alfred… Are you okay? Is there something bothering you?" he asked gently, not wanting to anger Alfred again.

"Of course not Arthur, I'm just a bit tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep when we got back and I guess I'm a little short-tempered." Alfred replied, giving Arthur a small smile. He hoped that they could just forget the whole incident.

_Too quickly…_ Arthur thought, not convinced. _He replied too quickly, there must be something wrong._

Opening his mouth to ask again, this time a bit more sternly, Arthur never got a chance as Alfred ran ahead, stopping a couple meters away and calling to Arthur.

"Race ya to the school, Artie!" Alfred called, running down the path without another word.

"Tch, so confident…" Arthur muttered, his suspicions momentarily taking a back seat in his mind as he watched Alfred run. Without hesitation, Arthur spread his white wings, jumping up and flying into the air. It felt nice to stretch them once and a while and he would need to fly to keep up with Alfred's vampire speed.

_Hmm… He avoided my question all together._ Arthur thought, flying towards the school with ease. Once in the air, he was very fast, and there were no shrubs or trees to look our for, unlike down below on the path. He had time to go casually.

Looking down, Arthur eyes the fast moving dot, weaving on the path. Arthur wondered why Alfred was being so secretive. He wouldn't admit to eavesdropping; that wasn't gentlemanly, but he had heard Matthew asking Alfred the same question.

"_Is something wrong?"_

"Alfred avoided Matthew's question too." Arthur mumbled, "Why? What's so important that Alfred won't even tell his sibling?"

As Arthur pondered, he noticed a white figure fly out from the upper dorms. With a rise of his eyebrows, he realized that it was Matthew. The quiet ghost seemed to be heading towards the school.

_What's the lad doing?_ Arthur wondered, trying to block that guilty feeling of forgetting about the boy yet again. He remembered Principal Roma announcing that Matthew was free to come to the meeting. He suspected that Matthew was going to go, after all, the boy must have been overjoyed that he was remembered long enough to receive an invitation. However, as he watched, his wings flapping hard to keep him suspended in the air, Matthew headed to the roof and stopped. Arthur then realized Matthew was not going to be present in the office after all.

"Yo, Artie! I beat you~" Alfred called, standing at the school entrance a distance away. Arthur frowned, he had gotten distracted and quickly flew over to Alfred, landing on the ground and ignoring Alfred's loud gloating. He looked at Alfred's happy expression on his face, different from that cold look he received when Alfred got angry at him. The boy seemed completely normal now, you wouldn't ever guess that there was something wrong.

_Am I being paranoid?_ Arthur wondered, looking up and seeing a ghostly-white pair of legs hanging off the school roof. It must have been Matthew. As of late, Arthur had noticed that the ghost was quieter, if that was possible. Did both boys have troubles, or perhaps Matthew really did know what was ailing Alfred.

_Alfred, just what is it you're hiding?_ Arthur thought; his eyes on Alfred's back as he followed the boy into the school.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Lame! This chapter is lame. And short. <strong>

**Hrm, I haven't let it die, I still wanna write it, but I'm afraid I have so much happening right now. To be honest, I'm probably a bit depressed due to some events. I hope you guys understand; even if not that you excuse the lack of updates! Nevertheless, the flame for this story isn't dead, just weak. Mostly I'm just trying to forewarn about slow updates and pray that I don't lose too many readers. Urgh, I must sound like one of those "I wan't attention 'cause I'm sad." Sorry again! (TnT") I'll be fine, just need a break from all my projects and focus on one or two things.**

**I plan to do NaNoWriMo however, to keep my creativity flowing and keep myself motivated to be creative. You know, fuel the fire for writing these stories. :3 I'm debating whether I should spend my first year in NaNo as a Rebel by continuing this WIP of mine *points to this fanfic* or by following the rules and making a new story… *Probably shouldn't stress over this as much as she is* I apologize in advance though, as this means even less updates in the month of November. *Possibly none. **** * But I will be back in December! I promise that! With it I will either have a ton of new chapters *If I become a first-year Rebel* or else a few chapters that are nonetheless new. *Since I have one or two written and typed that I can proofread when time permits.* (=.= ")**

**Anyways, to be fair, I've broken one chapter into two parts, thus this tiny filler. I only had time to proofread this part before I had to continue my work. Anyways; expect some explanation and formation of things in the next chapters. Then more action~ Once it's posted… *sighs* Forgive my poor update schedule! *guilty***

**That reminds me, I'm drawing a *lame* cover for the story. *poor artist* I'll replace the cover of this story soon in November perhaps, and you can see the bigger image on my DeviantArt~ Hey, but, you guys are always free to draw something for this if you so wish~ I'd love to see it~ But that's only if you wish. ;D **

**In exchange for the future wait, *passes you your favorite Hetalia Characters to be your maid-for-a-day*****I have my sources. F3 hehe**

**Thanks to the reviewers and favorites and everything else! *gives you all cupcakes* You guys make my day~**

**Reviews are fun~ Flames are used to burn away the clouds in my head. Then I can see that sun again. ;3**

**~SERF**

**SoulEaterRomanceFan**


	33. Intro Arc: Chapter 33: Control Team

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Walking down the pale-colored hallways of the school, feet making light tapping noises as the two boys walked to the office, Alfred smiled, still happy about his win. He wasn't expecting it would be so easy, but with his vampire speed, it was a snap.<p>

However, despite his grin, Alfred's thoughts were flying around his head like busy bees.

_Why did I act out towards Arthur? Why can't I tell anyone about Allred and Alfie? Why did I even get angry in the first place? Sure it was a slap when Arthur mentioned that stuff about Mattie, but it's not enough to make me snap like that…_

"What's wrong with me?" Alfred muttered. Both Matthew and Arthur had asked him the same question, but he just couldn't bring himself to answer them honestly. It was almost like he didn't know the answer.

"Is Allred mentally blocking me or something?" Alfred whispered under his breath as he trudged through the hallways. He was going over possibilities now, trying to distract himself from the awkward silence between him and Arthur as the traversed the hallways.

"_Nope, it's not me." _Allred's voice sounded in Alfred's head, causing him to wince. He took a moment to try to push Allred away, like tugging someone away from a wall, and sighed in relief as the low voice grew faint before disappearing.

_Why can't he just leave me alone?_ Alfred wondered, sighing unhappily.

"Are you going to open the door or not?" Arthur asked, causing Alfred to look up. They were already standing outside of the office. Since when?

"O-Oh, yeah. No problem!" Alfred said quickly, pushing the door open and walking inside. Arthur gave Alfred a confused look but followed.

"Ah, boys! Good to see you made it!" Principal Roma called as they entered, the door closing behind them. Same old office with its pale walls and tall, potted plants. How many times had Alfred ben here now, in just these last few days? Alfred noticed the Principal was standing next to the secretary's desk, flirting before Arthur cleared his throat to catch his attention.

"Sorry, right in the office boys!" Principal Roma said, giving a small wave to the secretary who giggled before returning to her work.

"Have a seat." He said, motioning to the chairs near his desk before sitting in a chair of his own.

Alfred and Arthur sat, sitting stiffly as Principal Roma seemed to sag in his seat, looking perfectly relaxed.

"Sir, where is Lovino?" Arthur asked, looking around the empty room. The angry, dark-winged boy was not here.

"Lovino? He is in the First Aid room." Principal Roma replied. "He wouldn't leave Antonio's side."

Arthur nodded in response, lapsing into silence and leaning back in his chair, resting his head on the tall back before wincing. He gently rubbed his neck, trying to be subtle. Alfred caught it immediately and so had the principal, who looked at the angel; eyebrow raised.

"Arthur, are you okay?" Principal Roma asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm perfectly fine, sir." Arthur responded, wincing again and hoping the others didn't catch it.

Principal Roma shook his head, "This talk can wait. Let's get you to Dr. Edelstein." He said, standing up immediately.

"Wha- No, it's fine! Really!" Arthur said, "It's probably from sitting in a strange position or something. Maybe my back is a bit funny!"

Principal Roma clicked his tongue, "No, no, let's get going. It might be serious. If it's your back, maybe it needs to be snapped into place. Can't be too careful!"

Arthur paled at the thought of someone snapping his back, but stood anyways. Alfred was already marching to the door and he rubbed his head unconsciously as he waited for Arthur.

All three stepped out of the office, walking down the hall in silence as Principal Roma eyed Alfred carefully. "Alfred, is there something wrong with your head?" he asked, noticing the boy was continuously rubbing his forehead.

"Nah, just feels a bit itchy." Alfred said, scratching it again.

"You should check that too." Principal Roma said cautiously.

"Or maybe you should have a shower." Arthur said smugly. Alfred frowned and stuck out his tongue as they watched Principal Roma flirt with a nearby female student.

They sighed, waiting and wondering if they should call out to the aloof principal, when they heard a familiar voice.

"Aiya! Kiku, don't touch it or you will agitate it!" Yao's voice called from the end of the hall. "Wait until we get to the first aid room."

Alfred and Arthur turned to see Yao and Kiku walking down the hallway towards them. The Asian duo was surprised to see Arthur standing by the door; his arms crossed, standing with Alfred who was waving happily at them.

"Ah, hello you two. " Principal Roma said, walking over to Alfred and Arthur, "What brings you here?"

Kiku bowed, "Konnichiwa, Roma-sensei. We are here because Yao-san has a strange mark on his left leg that is causing him discomfort."

"Kiku, we're here for you too! You have a mark on your right leg, aru." Yao said, annoyed. "It's itchy I think." He added.

Kiku bowed his head, "W-Well, hai, a little."

"Dude that's funny! Artie's got one weird pain on his neck and my head's totally itchy!" Alfred said, laughing loudly.

"While this is all very nice, everyone is bonding over physical ailments, how about we do this inside the room." Arthur said sourly, pointing to the open door. Principal Roma had already stepped inside and was chatting with Nurse Hedervary.

"That is a good idea, Arthur-san." Kiku said, hurrying into the room. Yao followed, then Arthur and Alfred.

"Aiya! What are you doing in here?" Yao cried. Alfred and Arthur stopped in the doorway, eyes widening as they took note of who else was in the room.

Kiku, upon seeing them, immediately walked over to Ludwig and Feliciano, who were chatting and examining the shelves of medicine. Gilbert and Francis sat on one of the cots near the door, chuckling silently as they saw who entered. Ivan stood by the window, waving and smiling when he saw Yao, whom was looking at him with disdain.

_Woah, is there some kind of mass epidemic going around?_ Alfred wondered. _Why's everyone here?_

looked up from his clipboard, motioning Alfred and Arthur into the room and nodding when they sat in a couple of chairs near the wall. Matthew and Lovino came out of the room a moment later as the doctor scribbled another note on his clipboard.

"You boys will have to wait. We-" said. He was cut off by Nurse Hedervary's laugh as Principal Roma continued to flirt with her. Alfred watched as the doctor's expression change from stoic, to disapproving, to annoyed as he grumbled something. "I'll be right back." He said, slinking towards the back door where the giggle came from.

As soon as he left, Arthur spoke. "Was there a chemistry lab accident again?" he asked, looking at everyone. "What on earth happened to get all of you in here?"

"I am here to get something checked." Ivan said, smiling cheerfully. "But it is none of your concern, nor business to ask, da?"

"Ve~ I'm waiting for my fratello. He was supposed to be my partner in cooking today! But my arm is kind of sore. Ludwig thought it was from all the stirring I do~" Feliciano said.

"Kesese, Francis and I are here to visit Antonio. Only that angry Italian won't allow us to see him, and there's a one visitor only rule. Although my hand is bothering me, which is way unawesome." He said loudly, sounding proud.

"Oui, my hand is itchy. I think the bandages need to be changed." Francis added, scratching his hand. "I was planning to get some more."

"Maybe it's from passing out one too many roses, frog." Arthur said, smirking.

Seeing the potential problem and not wanting to ruin the impeccably clean first aid room with a fight, Ludwig cleared his throat.

"I am also here to get something checked." He said, trying to divert their attention from each other. Everyone, even Alfred, could sense the tension between those two.

"Kesese! Yeah, West has got a little mark on his arm!" Gilbert announced, walking over to Ludwig and tossing his arm on the taller man's shoulders. Ludwig sighed, shutting his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Not everyone needs to know that, bruder…" He muttered.

"Ve! Ludwig, you have a mark? Did you get hurt?" Feliciano asked worriedly, looking at his friend.

"Nein, I did not. It's not a big deal, so don't get worked up over it." Ludwig said, patting Felciano's back gently.

"But Kiku, why are you here? Did you get hurt too? Were you with Ludwig fighting a scary ghost and you both got injured?!" Feliciano paled, going over the many possible scenarios in his head.

"Iie, I'm just-"

"Alright, now why are you all here?" asked, stepping into the room, Nurse Hedervary and Principal Roma following behind him.

"Veee! Everyone seems to be sore or itchy! Ludwig has a mark too! Maybe he's dying!" Feliciano cried, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he sniffled. Nurse Hedervary immediately walked over and gave Feliciano a comforting hug, gently patting his head.

"Aww, Feli, it's okay! Roddy will take a look at them and they'll all be fine, right? Don't cry." Nurse Hedervary cooed, trying to calm Feliciano down.

"Ve… A-And fratello is hurt too!" Feliciano said, sniffling. "He's been here for hours."

Lovino huffed, "I am not! I came to check on the Spanish bastard. He owes me an explanation for why he went on the stupid Food Run! I told him it was a bad idea, now look. The Americano got hurt and I got hurt and the attack-"

"Attack?" Gilbert said, interrupting Lovino without a second's hesitation. "What attack?" he asked, ignoring Lovino's loud curses.

Alfred looked at Gilbert, he thought everyone would know by now. That is, if stories and rumors spread as fast as his old school, then even the teachers would know. "When we were on th-"

Principal Roma cleared his throat, interrupting Alfred who was planning to explain. " Yes, well, why don't we get your neck checked Arthur." he said, the look in his eyes causing Alfred to shut his mouth. The message was clear. Don't tell anyone.

Arthur nodded. He wanted to get this over with so they could get back to the conversation Principal Roma was going to have in the office. He jumped up, sitting on a nearby cot as walked over and took a look at his neck, ignoring the others protests about how they were here first. He could feel the doctor brush aside some of his hair, wishing he had a mirror so he could see too.

"Strange Arthur… You have an odd mark on your neck. Have you bumped your head perhaps? Or fallen against something?" Dr. Edelstein said, probing Arthur's neck.

"No, not that I can think of, sir." Arthur said, leaning forwards. He tried to look in the mirror across the room, but it was too far away to be of any use.

Meanwhile, Alfred who stood near him, got a good glimpse of the mark.

"Haha! It looks like a little white triangle!" Alfred said, laughing at its odd shape.

A few other students moved forwards, curious. It was true what Alfred said, the mark on the back Arthur's neck was in a small triangle shape. It was colored white and the two points of the triangle were nearly parallel to his shoulders while the third point pointed downwards; right down Arthur's spine. It seemed almost dead center on his neck. However, what caught everyone's attention the most was how it seemed to be glowing; pulsing. Like it was reacting to something and was alive.

Arthur glared, wishing he could see it, but waved his hands in front of the curious onlookers before turning and glaring at Alfred, only to smile gleefully at what he saw. "You're one to talk. You've got a triangle mark on your head, only it looks purple." He said smugly.

Alfred immediately stopped laughing, placing a hand on his head with a loud slap. He looked for a mirror and quickly, Nurse Hedervary brought out a small pocket mirror, holding it up for Alfred to see. To Alfred's surprise and horror, there was indeed a small triangle-shaped mark on his head that seemed to glow a faint purple. Like Arthur's it seemed to be pulsing, the glow intensifying and settling in random intervals. Alfred would have been quite amazed and curious at the strange mark.

If it was on someone else's head.

"Oh my god! What the heck?! I mean, it's cool, but it's blue and glowing! Get it off!" He cried, rubbing his head with his hand vigorously. When it didn't come off however, Alfred began shaking his hands everywhere, as though doing so would make the mark fly off his head.

It was quite a comical sight, seeing Alfred panicking, though Arthur wasn't at all pleased. "Stop flailing you idiot!" The angel shouted, covering his head with his arms. He had enough skull-bashing hits from Alfred and he wasn't taking any chances this time. He frowned though, pausing "-and it's more of a violet color, not blue."

"Kesese! That looks like the mark on West's arm." Gilbert said, having caught a glimpse of the mark and ducking as Alfred nearly hit him.

Ludwig froze for a second, but nodded, raising his right arm and rolling up the sleeve on his green coat. Everyone leaned in as Alfred stopped flailing, curious now. On Ludwig's arm was a small, red triangle.

Dr. Edelstein examined everyone carefully, a look of concentration and thought on his face. "Hmm... Boys, please show me the area where you are feeling discomfort."

Alfred watched as everyone in the room rolled up their clothes, each revealing a mark on their bodies that was similar to Alfred and Arthur's. They were all triangle shaped, though the triangles seemed to be at different angles, as though someone took a stamp and kept rotating it after each time it was placed down. They were all about the size of a small coin, but that didn't make anyone feel any better about it. Oddly enough, most of the marks seemed to be on similar locations on each student.

Yao and Kiku's marks were on their legs; Yao's green mark on his left leg while Kiku's navy blue mark was on his right.

"At reast we can hide them with pants." Kiku mumbled as Yao nodded, looking at his own with suspicion.

Gilbert looked at his mark on his right hand, before looking at Francis' whose mark was on his left. "Kesese, mine looks grey. It's more awesome then your yellow one." He boasted, though in his mind, he wasn't all too happy that his awesome body had this weird shape on it now.

"At least I can cover it with bandages." Francis retorted after getting over the initial shock that his skin was marred by a strange mark.

Feliciano looked at his pink mark, showing it proudly to Ludwig. "Ve~ Look Ludwig! I've got one too. Maybe this is like teams? Are you going to be on my team?" He asked cheerfully.

Ludwig sighed, shaking his head. He would have expected that Feliciano would be more scared by this strange phenomenon.

"Dude! That's so weird! We all have marks! Is there some creeper going around that does this? Like a school legend?" Alfred asked, looking at everyone's marks.

"No, nothing like that. I don't understand how we could have gotten these, aru. Kiku, what about you?" Yao said, frowning as Kiku shook his head; no.

"Ivan-san, don't you have a mark too?" Kiku asked, looking at the one person who hadn't moved since everyone arrived.

Ivan eyed Kiku with a look of displeasure. "Da, there is a triangle mark on my ankle." he said curtly.

"Show us, aru!" Yao said, watching Ivan.

Ivan rolled up the left leg on his black pants, showing a small triangle mark on his ankle.

Yao had no time to fully see it however. As soon as the mark was exposed, everyone's mark began to glow brighter than ever before.

Shades of blue, red, orange, every color of the rainbow, seemed to fill the room for a split second before everything stopped. The room was once again bathed in light from the window and lamps, but everyone had their eyes shut, rubbing them as though blinded.

"Veee, wh-what was that?" Feliciano asked, having jumped behind a chair when the glow intensified. Before he found the marks to be kind of neat, but that sudden glow scared him and now he wasn't so sure.

Alfred rubbed his eyes, blinking. "No idea dude, but it was bright." he replied. "But my head doesn't hurt anymore!"

All the students in the room nodded, the itchy or sore feeling that came from their marks was gone, causing a collected sigh of relief.

"Hmm... Interesting." Principal Roma mumbled, eyeing all the students curiously. "Well then, that settles it!" he declared, dropping his fist in his open hand in an "aha" motion.

Everyone looked up at Principal Roma, having forgotten he was there. He had been so silent.

"What do you mean, sir?" Arthur asked, rubbing his mark. It had stopped aching, but he wasn't pleased with it. Like the others, the mark still had a faint discoloration, and though it blended with the skin fairly well, certain colors did look odd. At least they weren't glowing anymore.

Principal Roma turned to Arthur, a grin on his face. "Why, my dear Arthur, this is the team!" he said enthusiastically.

"Team of what? Weird marked bastards?" Lovino asked; a frown on his face as he came out from behind one of the cots. That light show had scared him, and without anyone to jump behind, he settled for the bed.

"Oh not at all Lovino. I mean the control team!" Principal Roma announced, his eyes glinting with excitement.

There was nothing but silence in the room until Yao broke it.

"The what team, aru?"

"Ah, that's right. I should explain!" Principal Roma said, chuckling at everyone's confusion. "You all know that other creatures like us, exist of course. However, I'm sure it's never occurred to you that not all the supernatural creatures in the world would just come to a school, or even consider a place. In fact, there is a lot of creatures who run rampant in the world!" Principal Roma said cheerfully.

"Ja, but what does that have to do with this control team?" Ludwig asked, wanting to get to the point. He didn't like to beat around the bush.

"Well, each area has a control team. You should know there are a few other schools like this out there. Our school doesn't have one since it's usually left to the other school, however they've clearly slacked on their duties, considering the attack last night." Principal Roma explained, his finger on his chin as he thought.

Arthur opened his mouth to ask a question when Gilbert interrupted him.

"But exactly what happened that the awesome me was not part of? Everyone's talking about some incident and attack in this room. What's the awesome me not know that everyone else does?" Gilbert said, pouting.

"Hai, what was this incident you speak of, Roma-sensei?"

"Oh, just a werewolf attack-"

"-that Antonio is not guilty of!" Lovino blurted out, glaring at anyone who he suspected thought otherwise.

Principal Roma chuckled, "Well, yes, there were other werewolves-" he raised his hands before other students could speak, motioning for them to listen. "- but what is important is that we need to take action and form a team of our own, to prevent more accidents like that from occurring." Everyone gave a small, unsure nod as Principal Roma continued. "Now, teams usually consist of about ten members, as some creatures aren't too... Friendly. Mostly you would be subduing the more violent ones, we principals would take care of the rest. Else, investigating issues and reporting. Think of it as an army task force meant to keep monsters in check to prevent humans from learning the truth and exposing us to the world."

The room was silent as they digested this information. Alfred though it sounded like a superhero force that protected the helpless people; protected their hidden identity.

"You ten will be starting tomorrow! I need you to investigate something. Oh but, you should appoint a leader." The principal said with cheerful finality.

"Woah, wait a minute! I didn't even agree to this!" Alfred said, raising his hands and stepping back. He had only just grasped the concept, now Principal Roma was thrusting this on all of them? Sure it sounded neat, but he needed time to think about it. At least to be prepared!

"Yes, aru! I didn't agree and I don't want Kiku to be involved in something so dangerous!" Yao protested.

Upon the first protest, the others joined in.

"Oui! I cannot handle such a job. It will take time from my busy schedule!"

"Hah, more like schedule of dates, frog! I on the other hand have school work to do!"

"Ve, Fratello, that sounds scary!"

"Chigi! I agree with my brother for once! I'm not doing something that dangerous!"

On the other hand, some seemed all too excited, causing a split between the students.

"Ufufu, it sounds fun, da!"

"Kesese, ja! Let's do it West, c'mon!"

"Ugh, I suppose if East will do it, I have no choice..."

"A-Actually, I'm-"

"Calm down everyone!" Principal Roma said, raising his hands as he spoke. His voice was loud, surprisingly loud, causing everyone's ears to ring.

"Now, now, classes are not a concern! I will give you notes to your teachers, and it wouldn't take more than a night, or maybe two, to complete tasks. You'll get the next day off to catch up on work and it's not a frequent occurrence!" Principal Roma announced, eyeing Arthur and continuing.

"Yes it's dangerous-" Yao's frown didn't change at his news. "-but that is why the team is big! Besides, most missions are simply contain or investigate. Nothing major! Plus, I know some of you-" Principal Roma eyed Gilbert in particular, "-aren't doing the best in classes, so this will guarantee you a better grade. Think of it as extra credit. You can even drop one class and use this as a replacement! Easy marks~"

At this, everyone seemed to perk up. The promise of extra credit seemed to be the selling point to many students.

"No more French class?" Arthur asked, shuddering at the mention of said class. All those French amphibians…

"Oui, I can drop English! Stupid eyebrows class anyways!"

"Ve~ I'll drop Gym~"

Everyone pined over this idea as Alfred himself looked unsure. He was wondering something, which caused a dampen on his spirits. "Sir, why has the other school... Slacked off?"

Everyone stopped and looked at Alfred, the same thing was on their minds, but none had bothered to ask.

Principal Roma frowned, patting Alfred on the back. "Well, they are often secluded in their school, but I suppose they must have some reason. I don't really know." he replied, trying to reassure the vampire. "Anyways, if everyone is in agreement, you should decide on the leader. I appoint Alfred, myself."

All questions disappearing from his mind as he felt everyone's eyes stare at him; boring into him and making him want to shrink down into the floor. Everyone looked at him with varying calculating or disapproving expressions. Many seemed to doubt he would make a very good leader and to Alfred's surprise, Arthur was first to speak.

"This guy? I think-"

"Kesese! No way, I think that I should be leader! I'd be an awesome leader!" Gilbert declared.

"Nein! We need someone who can keep order and get things done!" Ludwig protested, to which Lovino immediately stomped his foot down and glared at Ludwig.

"Chigi! No way I'm having a potato bastard, fire demon lead me! I would rather that idiota with the bandages be leader than you!" He said, pointing at Francis who didn't look like he hated such a proposition.

"I will be leader, da? The idea of underlings that I can command makes me smile with the pleasures~" Ivan said, his smile producing a scary aura that caused all students to shudder as they felt a chill.

"Aiya, I will be leader, there is too much fighting as it is. At least we can use the ancient Chinese method of ruling over others. I take all control and you don't ask questions, aru!"

"Ve, that sounds like mean rule, Yao." Feliciano said, hiding as Yao frowned, the ground rumbling under Feliciano's feet.

Alfred watched everyone argue as he walked over to Kiku, "Kiku, do you have any protests?"

Kiku jumped' looking flustered as everyone argued. He wished he could just curl up in his bed under the covers. They were all so loud!

"E-Eto, n-no. Not really. I- I mean, out of everyone, it seemed that you or perhaps Ludwig would be the best choice, but-"

"We there we have it! Kiku agrees that Alfred should be the leader!" Principal Roma announced, having overheard the two converse.

Alfred and Kiku jumped back, caught by surprise as the others looked up, Arthur's hand slamming down on Dr. Edelstein's desk. Thankfully, the doctor wasn't present as he moved in the back room with Nurse Hedervary while the others were arguing.

"What!? I refuse to accept this poor truck driving, head-pummeling Neanderthal as my leader!" Arthur said, Ludwig, Ivan and Gilbert's heads nodding in agreement.

"Oh come now, give it a shot you four! The others don't seem to be against it." Principal Roma said, motioning to the other boys in the room.

"Humph, better than the potato demon and his brother." Lovino said reluctantly. He would prefer Alfred over the others. Besides, in the clearing, Alfred showed some form of courage, so he wasn't totally useless.

"Ve, if Lovi is okay with it, I am too~" Feliciano chirruped, his white wings flapping happily.

"If Kiku agree's, I will to. But this vampire better be a very good leader, aru." Yao said, eyeing Alfred carefully. Alfred gulped nervously.

"Mais oui. I will accept, as long as Arthur isn't leader."

"There, see? Give it a chance boys. If there is a real problem, I will reconsider. Okay?" Principal Roma declared, patting Alfred on the back. Hard. " Everyone report to my office tomorrow. We'll see how you all do on your first investigation~ Good luck Alfred, and by the way, you should have some blood. You look pale!"

Everyone watched as the Principal waved, walking out the door, Alfred wincing, possibly at the mention of blood or maybe from the hard hit that the principal gave him. Was that supposed to be a congratulations?

_What a fast exit,_Alfred thought, looking at the others. An awkward air was forming in the room.

"Listen well, Alfred. I will go with this for now, but if you make a mistake, I will take that duty off your hands, ja?" Ludwig said, crossing his arms as he gave Alfred a cold stare. Alfred nodded "J-ja! I mean yes!" he said quickly as Ivan and Gilbert nodded their heads in agreement with Ludwig's words before they left the room.

The others soon followed, leaving behind only Matthew, who despite trying to talk during this whole ordeal, was ignored.

"Mattie... What just happened?" Alfred asked, staring at the first aid room door that closed with a solid clunk.

"Well Al, you're now part of some control team and are the leader. You've also got three people who want your position, at least two people who doubt your abilities to lead and one angel who seems to be seriously against you right now, and all of them will probably watch you like a hawk now. One screw up and you'll be not only out of the position, but probably lose any faith, respect and possible friendships you can make with them."

Alfred looked at his brother with anxious eyes. Well that didn't make him feel any better. "But I don't want this position! I didn't even say yes!"

Matthew gave Alfred a half-hearted smile, noticing his brothers clear distress and wishing he could give him a comforting pat. "Me neither, but I guess we go with it. Look on the bright side, in a way, you're kind of like a now hero, eh? Protecting all of monster-kind and preventing the ultimate secret from slipping out."

"I always thought heroes worked alone or something" Alfred huffed, pouting. That just sounded like more responsibility to weigh him down. He didn't have time for responsibility, he needed to get through the last few days of his weekly trial run! Not investigate places and lead a team that seemed to hate him.

"What can I say Al? A hero's job is never easy."

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><p><strong>Authors Note: I'm baaaack! *evil grin* Didja miss me!? (w) I made an extra-long chapter as thanks for being such patient readers.<strong>

**Hehe, well, it's been a good month and I failed at my NaNoWriMo. I should have been a rebel and written this instead of made a new story. This story was on my mind the whole time and I only got 1/5****th**** of the 50,000 words I needed to write. Funny enough, I opened up this story the last two days of NaNo and wrote about 8000 words. *headdesks* On the bright side, I may be able to do weekly updates again with what was written, as long as I can keep up. *I still have school OTL* **

**Anyways! It's time to celebrate! This chapter ends the introductory arc! Wooo~~**

**\(OWO)/ Party time with your favorite nation! *calls your favorite nation to party with you***

**Now that it's written, I can safely say that the plot pieces are in place! I can make things exciting now as we go through the adventures. Hehe, I have a lot planned. Things might be a bit fast though, as the beginning of the next arc *Which at this rate is gonna be a short arc* will probably start with their first assignment. It will focus mostly on Arthur and Alfred and their interactions. Things like Alfie and Allred, Alfred's weekly school trial, Arthur's past and his - and his - about -. (.u. ) No spoilers.**

**In general though, the arcs are now going to be focusing on a few characters, though they'll all appear. I look forward to a few of them. *Teehee~* I only hope the following chapters won't disappoint.**

**I wonder, this is probably the longest chapter yet! *scatters confetti* It only took... 33 Chapters. OTL Which reminds me, I need to draw that cover for this story still. It's in my notebook! Also considering drawing a tiny mark diagram to show everyone where the marks are, who has what and what color, but then again, those won't be super important until later. What do you think? (.u. )**

**Thanks for the reviews, and the faves and alerts and everything! You guys know how to make someone's day. (;u; ) *hugs you all and gives you some cookies* someone seems to like the cookies I give you readers and reviewers. I'm glad you do! (~_^)**

**Reviews are welcome~ Flames are used to bake more delicious cookies.**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	34. Arthur Arc: Chapter 34: First Assignment

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>The next day, everyone was in the office; each wearing light clothing. Most had t-shirts and sweatpants while some like Feliciano, Lovino and Arthur had a long coat on, to hide their wings. Ivan had his usual scarf on his neck, standing ready as Francis tightened his bandages.<p>

Alfred paced nervously in the room, wringing his hands as his teammates looked at him.

_Teammates… What a strange word to regard them as._ Alfred thought, trying to look more confident than he felt. At least it's like having some friends-

-Who want you to mess up so they can take your place.

It wasn't that Alfred thought he couldn't do the job; he loved leader roles, like at gym with team captains. It was more that, in gym, at least the people in his team liked him; here everyone seemed to be regarding him with a cold shoulder. Particularly Ivan, Gilbert and Ludwig. Even Arthur was fairly cold to him.

Then again, he hadn't gotten to know them too well, aside from a casual conversation in his few days he's been here. Nonetheless, Alfred couldn't help but feel a little sad, and frustrated, that now they were simply waiting for him to miss the ball thrown at him.

One thing Matthew pointed out, while he lay on the bed the night before, was that Alfred just needed to gain their respect and interact with them more. It wasn't that they hated him; it was that they didn't trust his ability to be a good leader. Or in Gilbert's case, that Alfred wasn't awesome enough to take the lead. Of course, then Matthew added that he wasn't too sure about his brothers ability to lead either, which dampened his spirits, but he made it up by including the fact that he was coming along too.

"_After all, I was in that room too. Principal Roma seemed to be regarding everyone." _

After that, Alfred had hyped himself up for this first assignment. His brother being there gave him a bit more confidence, and he figured that if he did well in this first assignment, then maybe they would be more accepting of him as leader. Then again, he didn't really know how this "Monster Control" system worked.

"All right boys! Sorry for the wait, I was getting the truck ready." Principal Roma said, stepping inside the room.

"Actually he was flirting with Ms. Egret." Principal Germania said bluntly, following Roma into the room.

"She's so cute though~" Principal Roma said, "All those soft feathers~"

Principal Germania sighed, shaking his head before looking at the students, eyeing each in turn. "Hmm… Well, you all seem ready for action. This is a fairly easy assignment, so I expect it to go smoothly."

"I'm sure they'll do fine! Right boys, you've got a good team! Use teamwork, right. No "I" in team!" Principal Roma added,

Principal Germania growled lowly, not pleased at being interrupted. "As I was saying, your assignment is straight forwards. You're to head to the city docks and examine the area; notify us of any suspicious activity or otherwise activity you presume out of the ordinary. We've gotten reports of a ghoul lingering in the area and causing trouble."

"Germania-sensei, a ghoul? I thought that, aside from the practical jokes they play, they are more irritating than harmful, are they not?" Kiku asked, confused. Alfred himself had no knowledge on ghouls, but listened interested all the same.

"Always the informed one, Kiku. Yes they usually are. Normally ghouls simply play jokes, getting in the way but not harming. Aside from being annoying and pesky, they often stay to themselves. Only this time, they directly attacked a human. There's been too much focus on it as of late and the way they described the little troublemaker in the papers, I have no doubts." Principal Germania said, pulling out a newspaper clipping from his desk and passing it to Kiku who took a quick look at it while the others leaned over his shoulder.

Fidgeting from the lack of personal space, he handed it off to Yao who nodded sagely. "Hmm, it does fit a description of ghoul, aru. So all we have to do is look at it? We don't need to attack it?"

Principal Germania hiccoughed, looking down at the ground. "Well, as a control team, you have the final say. You could choose to eliminate it if you see fit, but since you're new, I would suggest you just scout and investigate. See if it really is a ghoul or something else, then report back."

Alfred nodded, giving the thumbs up. He was ready. "No prob, Germania!" he said, before shrinking back from the glare said Principal was giving him. "I mean, no problem, sir. Sir."

"You boys will find the van outside. Better decide on the driver!" Principal Roma said, smiling as brightly as the bright-colored walls in the room. "I'm sure you boys will do fine. Good luck~" He hurried the others out, closing the door gently.

"He's in a hurry, da? We should go too." Ivan said, not bothered by the Principals sudden hastiness. It was normal for the Principal to do such sudden things, the others knowing the same and nodding in agreement.

The group walked through the long halls to the front gate where a pale white van was waiting.

_White vans are suspicious._ Was Alfred's first thought, but he decided against pointing out the fact in exchange for declaring his position in the van.

"I'll drive!" Alfred called excitedly, causing everyone to turn to look at him. Most had skeptical looks.

"Stop speaking rubbish! Last time you drove a truck you nearly killed those bushes outside." Arthur said, rejecting the American's proposal of driving. Not until he saw Alfred take a proper driving test.

"The awesome me can drive!"

"Gilbert, you don't have a license. I'll drive."

"I will drive, da?"

"Vaht, no way! I'm driving!"

"Dude, I'm leader, I wanna drive! Arthur c'mon, they listen to you!"

"I can drive, aru." Yao said, sighing. He didn't want to but it appeared that the others wouldn't even get to the truck if they continued arguing.

"But-"

"Don't argue Alfred. Just get in the van." Arthur said sternly, walking over to the van and holding the door open as the others got inside. No one objected against Yao driving, though perhaps because they knew there would be no conclusion and they wanted to get the job done fast.

Alfred shook his head, motioning to the front seat next to the drivers. Before he could reach the side though, Ivan moved towards it, opening the door and slipping in.

"Damn necromancer commie." Alfred muttered, casting a glare that was either ignored or not felt by the tall Russian.

"Chigi! Get in the damn van Alfred! It's squished in here and I want to get out as soon as possible." Lovino called, glaring at Ludwig as he sat between the demon and Feliciano.

Alfred sighed in defeat, walking over to the back of the van, watching as Matthew got inside, sitting in one of the single seats in the middle before Kiku came over and sat on top -or was it in, him.

Opening his mouth to let Kiku know, Alfred never got a chance to call out as Arthur grabbed him and tugged him inside, causing him to fall on the last empty seat in the van. He adjusted himself, looking around the interior. It felt like he was back in the truck, only there were seats of leather, seat belts, and noticeably less room. It was a wonder how all of them had fit inside.

"Everyone inside, aru?" Yao asked, turning the key in the ignition and waiting as the van rumbled to life.

With a nod of everyone's heads, the van lurched forwards as they rolled away from the school. Arthur began to instruct Yao where to go, leaning forwards in his seat and pointing the directions.

"I know how to get there Opium!" Yao said, frowning as Ivan gave him a playful poke. "Aiya! Stop poking me, aru!"

"Ve~ I'm hungry! Does anyone have any pasta?" Feliciano asked from the back, Lovino nodding silently.

Ludwig sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "No Feliciano, there is no pasta in here."

"Kesese! Hey Francis, want to play an awesome game? We have to make awesome faces at the drivers nearby and whoever gets the driver to react angrily, wins!" Gilbert called.

"Mon ami, you are on!"

"U-Um, Kiku? C-can you please move a bit?"

"Eto, Matthew-san? Oh! I'm sorry, there's no place for me to move to…"

"I-It's fine…."

Alfred watched as his team interacted, staying silent the whole time. _Yeah, no problem. Just have to prove I'm' a good leader to these guys. _He thought, ducking down to avoid Arthur's punches towards Francis who sat behind him. He had to keep his nerve up if he was going to do this.

_How hard can it be?_

* * *

><p>Principal Roma blinked, seeing his friend's face emerge from the darkness as the world around him focused.<p>

He was never a fan of his visions; they tired him out and the feeling of being thrust into a sudden darkness with your senses non-existent; being completely cut off from the world around you. Well, they weren't his idea of fun. One minute you could be kissing a beautiful girl on the lips then the next, you find your cheek hurting and the girl is storming off because you said she would "have an allergic reaction to the drink she was going to get that caused her face and body to bloat."

Roma wasn't fond of prophecies either. They were cryptic and confusing, and scrolled past his unseeing eyes a mile a minute, causing him to have to read it out loud, which he assumed he does. When he does, his voice apparently sounds very old. That's not sexy at all, and definitely wouldn't pick up any girls.

Giving his friend a weak smile, he asked an unvoiced question. Germania was one step ahead of him though, passing the sheet of paper with the latest.

"_**During this desperate time, one will take charge, however the cost of this act will be large."**_

"What do you think?" Germania asked Roma, who's brows crinkled together in thought.

"Well looks like it must apply to them, doesn't it?" Roma said softly, frowning.

"You never know, it could be referring to someone else. Your visions aren't exactly accurate." Germania suggested. He too had his suspicions about them.

Roma shook his head, it seemed fairly clear to him. "Perhaps, but my visions are accurate to say the least. It's how we interpret them that make them different. Besides, I saw it."

Germania straightened his back, his lips in a tight line. "Saw?"

"This prophecy is different, I see silhouettes and they're blurry, but not hard to make out." Roma said, "Besides, you've seen the glow, haven't you?"

Germania was silent for a moment leaning against the back of the chair before nodding. "Yes, but that's his ability. The blue means it's a type of energy."

Roma shook his head, Germania was a terrible liar. "No, I mean, the glow. He glows with destiny, and it's strong. Stronger than the others." He said, looking his friend in the eyes. He was being serious.

A slight nod from Germania confirmed Roma's suspicion. They had a strange ability; one that nobody knew about and one that never seemed to important or useful. Except those few times, such as that female student years ago who had a light violet glow and graduated into a famous artist where she donated a lot of money to their school.

"Well, all I can say is that the words seem to apply to only one of them. It's vague; it could still mean someone else. If not in the school then in the group." Germania said, sounding confident. "We don't know everything yet and I'm sure it will be revealed in time, like it always is. As far as I can tell, he hasn't been accepted as leader anyways, so perhaps it won't happen for a long time. We will have more to work with." He added. His friend gave him a reproachful look.

"We have a lot to think about these days. It can wait." Germania concluded, sighing.

"Germania, you are trying hard at optimism, aren't you?" Roma said, patting his friend on the back as he leaned back on his chair. The pale walls of his office seemed to dull his brain as he sat wearily.

"Is it working?" Germania asked, trying hard to smile and coming up with a half-smile that looked fairly out of place on his normally stern face.

"You may want to keep your day job, my friend." Roma chuckled, feeling a bit better. Being a principal was sure difficult, especially when it came to his students. He cared for them like they were all his family and when one of his prophecies had ill news; he worried about it a bit too much. He let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. It had been hard to hold back the prophecy when he talked to the other kids and he had to hurry them out. Doing that takes a lot of energy.

Germania frowned, when his friend was serious or sad, it was always hard for him to get used to. Even in the long time they knew each other. "I guess I'm just not great at optimism like you or-"

"Hmm…. But-" Roma said, cutting his friend off mid-sentence. "- I was the one who was pushing Alfred into the role. He just seemed like he would be a natural at it, you know? He seemed good for the part, and I think the others can see it too."

Germania silently nodded, deciding against confronting Roma about not interrupting people. He took the paper with the newest part of prophecy from his friend's hand. They had decided to call it a prophecy. It was getting long; Roma thought they should label it appropriately.

Looking at the paper one last time, Germania tossed it onto the desk, watching it land on the open newspaper. He tried to ignore the headlines, but the bold words seemed to want to be read; unrelenting as Germania's eyes scanned over them for the fifth time today.

"**Bodies Found On Hiking Path. Wolf Attack Or Something More?"**

"**Worker Claims Ghost Attacked Him In Dock Warehouse. False Claim? Evidence Suggests Otherwise!"**

"**Monsters Living Among Us? Horrifying Fact Or Chilling Fiction?"**

"Whatever it is they do, they'll have to be careful about it. We all need to be careful now." He muttered, shutting the newspaper closed.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>

**OMG NO PAGE BREAKS?! *Rageface* *Fixes* .n.**

**Oops, I didn't update last week. OTL I'm sorry… So much to catch up in when you're sick. **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm working on making foreshadowing. Needs work. (_ ) Alfred, we have great expectations for you! :3**

**Oh, and for those who are curious about pairings and if there are any. There will be; I want to try to include a bit of everything, which means romance, but it's going to be slow going. I like when people work into it instead of just jump into it. Makes things seem more real. The pairings are more or less decided; and are sorted more for future benefit than personal preference. Hopefully you guys will be okay with it!**

**Wow, know what day it is today? Exactly a year ago when I posted this story… (O.o) I'm amazed it's lasted this long. Over one-hundred reviews and more than one-thousand pageviews with more than a hundred favorites, alerts and subscriptions… I'm just blown back. I love all you guys; new readers, old readers, those who read this starting from the beginning and put up with my sporadic updates! **

**Wow, you guys are a year older than when you first saw this fanfic… It's just amazing… You guys.. (;u; )**

**Guess what? After a year, someone made fanart for this story! That fact just made me… I'm just so happy. I'll keep the user anonymous until/if they want to be known. I'm so happy; I cannot even! You're free to make fanart though! I'd love to see it, so please link it and I'll add it to an Author's Note or to a list on my profile! (^7^ ) **

**Phew, not much else to say but good luck Germania and Rome! Also Alfred and his pals *someday maybe XD***


	35. Arthur Arc: Chapter 35: Investigations

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does!

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><p>"We're here, aru." Yao announced, pulling behind a tall warehouse. The van easily blended with the pale cement walls of the warehouse in front of them, the wheels making hollow sounds on the wooden ground.<p>

Alfred peered out of the window, ignoring the clicks of seatbelts being undone.

They had gone to the city in the south and then driven east to the nearby docks. The whole area was covered in various barrels and thick ropes, void of people and the occasional boat tied to different anchor points at the sides of the docks. To one side, the water lapped against the dock and the vast ocean spanned as far as Alfred could see. On the other side were buildings of various sizes, each with large numbers printed on the cement walls, thin roves of metal at the top. The clouds above their heads added a dark feeling to the already empty area.

_Warehouses_, Alfred thought, stepping out of the van and stretching. _So creepy…_

Overall, the atmosphere of the area was summarized in a few words.

"Ve, this place is depressing and scary." Feliciano said bluntly.

"This place is downright scary!" Lovino said; frowning as his eyes scanned the docks. "Where's this ghoul? I want to find it and leave!"

"Ve, don't worry fratello, we can find it with everyone's help." Feliciano said optimistically. He wasn't one to let this place dampen his spirits, though he was shaking slightly.

"Chigi! I don't want the potato bastards help!" Lovino replied, getting out of the van by climbing over Ludwig's legs and making sure his dark wing stretched out just far enough to hit the demon on the head before he stepped on to the docks.

"Ouch." Ludwig said, rubbing his head as he exited the van, followed by Feliciano, whom was calling to Lovino to apologize.

"Lovino is so stubborn." Arthur said, stepping out of the van next as he watched Feliciano chase his brother.

"Honhonhon, a bit like you, non?" Francis said, leaning against the van. Arthur frowned, gritting his teeth and ready to punch that smug look off the frog's face.

"Shut up, Francis."

"We should begin investigating, da?" Ivan said, not wanting to waste time.

"I agree, aru. Let's start looking for the ghoul." Yao said, dusting off his clothes.

"But where should we look?"

"Kesese, hey West, let's go over there! I bet a ghoul would hang out there if it was awesome like me!"

"Ve, let's go with Ludwig fratello!"

"Hell no!"

"Ah, perhaps we should look over there, Yao-san?"

"Aiya, Kiku, that's the docks. The ghoul would be hiding, not in plain sight."

"Ufufu, I will follow Yao, da?"

"Ivan, get away!"

"Oi! All of you, stop!" Arthur called, trying to get some order. "First we need to decide something!"

Everyone looked at Arthur, confused. Decide what?

Arthur raised a bushy eyebrow, stomping his foot on the docks. "We need to figure out what to do if we actually see this ghoul! When in a team, you need to listen to the leader and his decisions before running off."

Alfred, who was looking at the long line of nearly-identical warehouses, looked over at the arguing group at the mention of the leader. "Erh, what was that?"

Arthur resisted the urge to face palm, something that seemed to become a habit… "Git… We need to figure out what to do if we see the ghoul Do we dispatch it, or do we go back and report it?"

Alfred looked at the expectant faces, waiting to be told his plans. Unfortunately, he had no plans, and was at a loss. "Ah, well, how would you go about dispatching said ghoul?" Alfred asked, trying to sound smooth and leader-like. In response, he was greeted with raised brows and skeptical looks.

Kiku decided to step in to save Alfred from further embarrassment. At least he was willing to give him a chance. "Ghouls are weak to fire and light. If we want to get rid of it, we could lure it outside. But they aren't normally hostile, and if we anger it, we could be in trouble. They are actually very strong and are not known for their mercy." He said, sounding like an audio textbook. The others nodded appreciatively and Alfred mouthed a soft thank-you to the weather spirit, whom gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Okay, then… I think we should start by finding it, right? Then we can decide if we should dispatch it. Maybe it's harmless and people overreacted and got it angry?" Alfred said, going over a few possibilities. Everyone nodded in agreement before Francis spoke.

"Then, where is this ghoul?" Francis asked, looking around the docks. The area was huge and they had no place to start, unless they split up.

"Uh…"

"We start in warehouse seven, aru." Yao said, pointing to the nearby warehouse. "I was reading that newspaper clipping the principals gave us. It mentioned warehouse seven."

Kiku nodded in agreement, having read the clipping himself. Everyone else gave various glances at each other, they had merely skimmed over it. Leave it to the two top students in the school to catch every detail.

"Alright!" Alfred said, pointing in the direction Yao pointed. "Then lets head to warehouse seven!" he tried to ignore the whispers, clearly he wasn't doing a great job in leading, but it was only the beginning; he could redeem himself.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Ahh…. It's short. (.n. ) Sorry… It's also lame and not that exciting… Sorry again. (;n; )<strong>

**I wanted to get this out before I left for the holidays. I won't be back for a few days and it's unfair to not send this chapter when it should have been posted yesterday; plus it means the next chapter faster! I promise a longer one with action later on when I get back! ^7^)/ **

**Well now Alfred, you're doing a perfectly fine job. (=u= )… **

**Oh well, He'll be okay. (~_^) Perhaps? Ahh, I've been so buys these days, I'm a little stressed again. Holidays are for relaxing but (X_X) I can't seem to relax yet… Maybe after Christmas. Didja know there's a season 5 of Hetalia coming out in January?**

**Well anyways! Happy holidays to you readers; or whichever holiday you celebrate! Just in case; Happy New Years! *But I hope to get another chapter out before then. ;D* OH and congrats on surviving the Apocalypse on the 21****st****. (. u .~)**

**Oh and, to reply to a review about pairings... Hehe, you only got a couple right. (^u^) and to reply about Feli's ability... Yes, they would since he is in the Training Class. But then; he's got pretty good control over it from practicing in the Lab. Still; he sometimes has accidents; like if he's to excited for say... Cooking pasta. He may cause a small gust of wind that topples a few people over; spilling the pasta. **

_Lovino: Chigi! Idiota! *Pasta falls on head*_

_Feliciano: (QAQ) Vee! The pasta! *Sobs*_

_Lovino: S-Stop crying bastard! We can make more!_

_Feliciano: (QAQ) But, But, But... Pasta!_

_Lovino: (n)9 Argh! Feliciano stop! You're making a wind storm!_

_Feliciano: Waaaaa! (A...)_

_Lovino: Feli! Look! Pasta tornado! Go play!_

_Feliciano: Veeee... Miracles! (*u*)_

__**Ah well, Lovi's prepared. (w )**

**Thanks to the new readers, reviewers and faves! You're all awesome! Have some Christmas Lemon Tarts~ *Passes you some***

**Reviews are welcome! Flames are used to cook the Christmas turkey that I still am not fond of. *But apparently someone makes really good turkey. I can't tell though. ("–n-)**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	36. Arthur Arc: Chapter 36: Frenzy

I don't own Hetlia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>From a far distance, the warehouse looked fairly small. Now that they were a few feet from it, the group realized it was enormous, taller than most of the warehouses on the docks. The giant, red sliding doors at the front loomed over them menacingly and the grey walls, cracked with age and covered in moss from the damp air provided a spooky feel. It was safe to say that each boy felt varying levels of fear; even Ivan.<p>

"So who goes in first?" Alfred said, craning his neck as he looked up. There were cobwebs near the corners of the roof, the thin strands almost invisible from such a far distance, and once again, he was reminded of his various vampire enhancements.

Arthur scoffed, "You of course. You're the leader."

Alfred frowned, unable to retort as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Ja! You first Alfred." Gilbert said teasingly, although he was pretty happy it was Alfred first and not the awesome him.

"W-Well, I need someone to help me push this door open!" Alfred said stubbornly. He felt like he was back at home, his friends daring him to go into the neighborhoods abandoned building. He walked to the door and pushed, feeling it give easily. It seemed heavy and it was, but with his super strength, it was like opening a normal door. Still, he pretended it was a great effort; grunting before looking at the others.

"Looks like it's stuck. Maybe if we-"

"I will open it." Ivan said, already at the doors and pushing it open, smiling as Alfred stepped up to the opening. It was just big enough for them to slip inside one at a time. "In you go, Alfred."

Alfred gulped, looking back at the expectant faces. He knew if he chickened out now, that he would be forfeiting more than just his pride. He would lose respect and no doubt the others would jump in at his position. Vaguely, he wondered why he wanted this position so much. It was more or less forced upon him by Principal Roma, right? In a few days he was leaving the school, his trial period nearly up. Nonetheless, he faced the opening, taking a deep breath.

"He won't do it. He's already scared of ghosts. Ghouls are probably no different for him." Arthur muttered, waiting impatiently.

At that, Alfred spun around, glaring at Arthur. It was like the angel was two faced, supportive one moment and traitorous the next… For a moment he felt something nudge at his mind and knowing full well what it was, he instantly turned back around, gritting his teeth and trying to push against the intruder while at the same time trying to stay calm.

"Geez Arthur, I'm going. I was just taking a look. If you want, you can go first." Alfred hissed, stepping inside the warehouse without a second of hesitation.

Inside, the building, somehow, seemed even bigger than it looked outside. The thick concrete walls were cracked here and there, with the odd window placed on them; often broken as well. The stone ground was nearly invisible under the many barrels and boxes of goods. Above them was a complex crisscrossing of black beams and tracks where a crane hung; different hooks and ropes swinging back and forth gently as drafts came through the thin roof.

Overall, things seemed fairly quiet, if not dark. The little amount of light coming from the broken windows many feet above were the only light source. Some holes in the roof provided a bit more light, but with the clouds outside, the warehouse was as dark as pitch. Alfred wished they had some flashlights…

"Here-"

Alfred jumped, screaming as he spun around, raising his hand and curling it into a fist, ready to throw a punch and run before he realized who it was behind him.

"- a flashlight." Ludwig said, his face stoic as he handed Alfred a flashlight. "Keep your guard up and check everything carefully."

Alfred nodded dumbly, feeling stupid for screaming. He suspected everyone in the warehouse heard that. "Thanks."

Ludwig gave him a curt nod before wandering off, leaving Alfred alone to his thoughts.

Sighing, Alfred turned on the flashlight, allowing his mind to wander as he peered in, around and under various objects in the warehouse.

Each time he checked, he held his breath, waiting for something more to jump out at him. In a way, the anticipation made things seem ten times worse, and he actually wished that it would just happen. At least then he wouldn't feel so on-edge. That is, he felt on edge, but somehow it didn't feel like nervousness; the butterfly in your stomach effect, that seemed to gnaw at him, but he couldn't quite describe the feeling any other way.

_Ugh, why am I so bad at this?_ Alfred thought, looking into an empty barrel, which was just that; empty.

_Having some troubles?_

Alfred flinched at the sudden deep voice in his mind. Once again, Allred just couldn't stay quiet. _Not now, Allred, I'm busy searching._

_Awh, I could help you Alfred. Just ask._

_No. I don't need help with this. What can you possibly do?_

_I am what you can't be, I can lead._

_Wh-who says I can't lead!_

_I don't know, but the others seem to have a pretty solid answer to that._

_Sh-shut up. Go away!_

_When will you realize that I'm here to help you, Alfred?_

Alfred shuddered, frowning. He could do this himself. He didn't need the help of Allred, and besides, the others would clearly see it as a sign of weakness. That is, if they could tell it was Allred and not him. But then again, was he just being stubborn?

_By the way. Have you not noticed?_

Alfred groaned in exasperation, now what did Allred want? _Noticed what?_

_That feeling in your stomach?, the burning in tour throat? You missed yesterdays. Tsk, against the doctor's orders too._

_Missed what. What are you talking about!? _Alfred was getting tired of Allred's constant teasing. He was pressing all the right buttons. If only he could give Allred a good punch.

_Blood._ Was all Allred said before fading to the back of Alfred's mind.

Alfred swallowed, the saliva seeming to go down slowly; thickly. He forgot about that… Now that it was mentioned, he felt a tingle in his throat. That feeling in his stomach, what he considered anxiety, was not that at all, it was emptiness; hunger.

"Oh." Was all he could say. "Blood."

Suddenly, Alfred was tempted to run outside and find the nearest human being. He felt a sudden wave of weakness wash over him. His knees were shaky and his head swam. He took a few quick deep breaths as his body seemed to cry out silently for the red liquid, though his mind seemed sickened at the thought. The onslaught of feelings had come so fast, it caused Alfred to stumble and he had to stop walking as he tried to regain his logical mind.

_No, don't think about it. Once this assignment is over, I'll just get some later. Just a quick walk to the First Aid room. Yeah. It's fine. _Alfred though, trying to pep-talk himself. It was both amazing and scary to him how fast this hunger hit him. Only a day without and he was like this? Than a week… Or longer?

"Ghoul. I gotta find the ghoul. The bl-" Alfred hesitated, even the mention of the word on his lips caused his stomach to strain. He needed it. "The liquid can wait."

With that final word, Alfred's resolve hardened again, though he tried to ignore the ache in his throat. How could he have not noticed that before? Was he just so nervous about this first assignment that he had blocked out everything else completely?

Suddenly a noise came from behind one of the oil drums to his right, causing Alfred's mind to snap back to the present.

Cautiously, Alfred approached the drum, holding the flashlight as though it were a gun that shot bullets, not light. With a moment's hesitation, Alfred ran forwards and around the drum holding the light so it shone directly on what was previously hidden from view.

Nearly dropping the flashlight, Alfred was shocked to see not a scary ghoul, but a man. Just a normal human male who was wearing ragged clothes with dirty, matted hair and a long beard. He was shaking slightly at the sight of Alfred, his mouth open in a silent scream, probably too terrified to make real sounds.

"Oh dude, that was not cool! I thought you were a ghoul or something." Alfred said, partly relieved partly disappointed. Had it been the ghoul then the assignment would be half over and he could get back to the school. Still, what was the man doing in a place like this? Did he sneak in after his team entered? Or… Before? He took a closer look at the man, shining his flashlight directly on the man's face.

The man trembled, his chest heaving as his breaths came out shallow; panicked. His hands were clasped together, almost in prayer, but trembling as he stared at Alfred. His neck, the large vein in his neck was pulsing, only slightly noticeable as his heart pumped rapidly.

Alfred froze as he eyes the man's neck, the shallow breaths making it expand, then contract, then expand again in a cycle as the veins pulsed. He could feel his mouth watering, and no matter what reason this man had to be in here, no matter what Alfred was going to ask before, which was along the lines of, "What are you doing in here?" all thoughts were gone as he was hit once again with a feeling of emptiness in his stomach and a burning in his throat.

"I-I-" The man stuttered, watching as Alfred's expression changed from one of curiosity and confusion to a frown; the eyes seeming to change color to a blood red. In the dim light, the man could not see exact details of the monster standing in front of him, only the glow from the eyes and the way the teeth seemed to flash against the dim glow of the flashlight.

Alfred's mind was blank. Somewhere in the back of his head, he could feel an incessant voice crying out "No. No!" Was that him, or was it someone else? His body didn't respond, his mind was focused on that one spot on the man's neck. Where the blood would flow the fastest, the strongest, if cut just right. Had he been able to rationally think, Alfred would have been curious as to how he knew the exact spot…

Just seeing this helpless form sitting there; it made something inside Alfred almost smile. Some light feeling of triumph; of success. The world seemed to be getting almost further away from him, as though he were watching a movie from inside a fishbowl. Things were running without him in a way, although he could clearly tell he was moving, preparing to strike, at the same time, it felt unreal; surreal.

"Oi! Alfred! Have you found anything? You're awfully quiet right now. I was starting to- Huh? Is that a human?" Arthur called, stepping out from behind a wall of barrels. His coat was off; probably assumed he was safe from human eyes in here. He held another flashlight, pointing it at Alfred before looking at the man who sat on the ground. For a moment, a look of confusion crossed Arthur's face before he turned to Alfred, his mouth open to ask another question. That is, until he saw Alfred's blood red eyes, glowing in the darkness despite the faint glow the flashlights gave.

"A-Alfred?" Arthur asked tentatively, his voice wavering for a moment as he suddenly thought back to the time Alfred rounded on him, the similar red eyes looking at him. The memory made him shudder, how angry Alfred was, how forceful. Only this time, there was some small, subtle difference. The emotions in these red eyes weren't anger, nor frustration or even sadness.

The dominant emotion Arthur could see in those blood red eyes was hunger.

"Quick, get out of here!" Arthur called to the man, running in front of Alfred to distract him. He wasted no time and grabbed Alfred's arm before the vampire had a chance to lunge forwards at the terrified human.

Arthur's arm jerked from the strength Alfred was planning to put in his spring. He gritted his teeth however, trying hard to hold Alfred back as he looked into the terrified eyes of the man. "Go! Get out!"

He had no chance to check if the man was out of harm's way nor time to brace himself for impact as Alfred ran forwards again, causing Arthur to snap forward from the force. He dug his heels on the ground and held Alfred back. "Damn it, bloody git! Stop it!" he called, straining as he tried his hardest to restrain the hungry vampire.

Speaking was the wrong thing to do however, as Alfred rounded on Arthur. The hungry red gaze focused on the angel, and immediately Arthur knew that the target had changed. Instinctively, he held his hand up and in a panic, released a blinding flash from his palm.

The warehouse was illuminated in a bright light for a split second, shadows cast by some of the taller barrels and details now easily discernible amongst the bright containers. It was like someone had a mini sun dropped into the area, providing as much light as though it were daytime.

Quickly as it came, the light faded and the warehouse was once again bathed in black; views obstructed as he opened his eyes, hoping that the flash stunned the ravenous vampire.

Apparently it had, as Alfred stood motionless, his eyes no longer red and his mouth no longer a snarl. He was looking at his hands, shaking all over and murmuring something.

"W-what did I-? What have I-?"

Arthur took a step forwards, his flashlight still miraculously in one hand. He was surprised that in that short scuffle, he hadn't dropped it. Alfred on the other hand seemed to have dropped his, which rolled over to the angel, hitting his ankle with a dull thump. Arthur bent down and took it in his hand, shining his own flashlight on Alfred and moving forwards to pass Alfred back the flashlight.

"Alfred?" Arthur asked softly, before a sudden scream coming from the far end of the warehouse cause him to halt in mid-step. It sounded like Feliciano and from another part of the building and a second later; he heard more cries from his teammates.

"Vee! Ludwiiiggg! Help!"

"Aiya! What is-"

"Chigiii!"

"Mon dieu!"

"Aaah! No way, this is so not awesome!"

As though a switch were flicked, the warehouse exploded in a loud frenzy, all traces of silence were gone as various cries of shock and horror filled the walls. From somewhere far off, he heard Ludwig call out.

"Scheiße! Ambush! There's m-" his voice was cut off as a loud clang was heard. Arthur had no way of knowing if it came from Ludwig or if it was from somewhere else. Everyone was in panic, crashes and thuds heard as the students tried to defend themselves.

Arthur turned to Alfred; he was the leader right? So Alfred would call the next plan of action. "Alfred, what do we-"

Only, Alfred seemed to be unaffected by this sudden turn of events. The vampire was still standing, unmoving as his hands moved to his head, clutching it as though it were going to explode.

"Alfred?"

The American made no sound, no movement indicating that he had heard Arthur. He looked up, his light blue eyes meeting Arthur's. Arthur was shocked to see a couple of unshed tears on the corners of the boy's eye; his expression seemed like one of a kicked puppy. With a sudden push that sent Arthur stumbling backwards a few steps, Alfred ran past the angel, heading towards the faint glow from the entrance of the warehouse.

Alfred was running away?

"Alfred!" Arthur called loudly, waving his flashlight wildly, causing the beam of light to glide across the walls, the barrels and up the ceiling. His mouth was wide open in shock, still making frantic motions in a sad-looking atempt to draw Alfred back. Something he probably shouldn't do as loud clangs and frantic footsteps echoes through the dark warehouse.

"Alfred, what are we going to do?! There is-" Ivan's voice was heard amongst the chaos, causing Arthur to stop.

_Alfred's not here. He's just abandoned us. _Was what Arthur was about to say; making sure there was plenty of anger and disappointment in his tone, but that was before he looked up.

His flashlight beam, from the wild motions of his hands, must have attracted them. At least, that's what Arthur figured in the short time he had to react.

High above him, hanging from the ceilings, was the ghoul. In fact, he looked just like the human man who was just here a few seconds ago. Only, there wasn't just one ghoul. There were three.

"Oh… Bollocks." Arthur muttered as the ghouls dropped from the ceiling, like agile bats they flew down, gliding as though they were sky divers, their decent far slower than normal as they grinned. Their mouths formed grins and their dark, coal-black eyes looked at Arthur with excitement and mirth, their pale features clearer the close they got and their skin almost reflecting the rays of light that came from Arthur's flashlight.

With only a second to react, Arthur ran forwards, rolling as the ghouls made contact with the ground which shook as they made impact. No doubt if he hadn't moved, that would have hurt.

"Damn… What will I-"

"Alfred-san! What should we do?!" Kiku called before getting cut off again. Arthur gritted his teeth, Alfred wasn't here to tell them and as he ran to the left to dodge another attack from one of the ghouls, he opened his mouth to issue a command of his own.

"Retreat! Everyone get out! Now!" Arthur called, running for the open door of the warehouse. He ran around the barrels in his path, dodging and ducking under the ghouls that came after him. His eyes were focused on the line of light filtering in from the entrance, his feet focused on nothing but running. He could hear the others running towards the entrance too; see their shadowy silhouettes as they slipped through the door. He could also see that the light seemed to be getting smaller.

The ghouls were trying to shut the door.

With a last burst of strength, Arthur sprinted forwards, slipping between the thin space before the warehouse doors gave a sold thud as metal contacted metal and the gap where they had both entered and exit ceased to be.

Arthur looked up, happy to see the cloudy sky. It wasn't sunny, but it was still brighter than inside that deathtrap. He smiled for a moment before looking around at the others and frowning.

Not all of them were here.

"Wh-where is Yao-san?" Kiku asked worriedly, looking around. He had just barely gotten out of the warehouse. The air around him was thick with tension.

"Mein bruder and Feliciano are not here either." Ludwig added, taking a head count. The flames dotting his body were low-burning as he tried to regain his breath.

"Francis is not with us, neither is Lovino." Ivan added. He was not smiling now, is face looking grim as his eyes darted to the door of the warehouse.

Arthur cursed under his breath. "They must be still inside. Before they attacked, at least, I think that was when, I heard them cry out."

Ludwig's eyes widened and he made a quick run to the entrance of the warehouse, pushing against the door. It wouldn't budge and he hammered his fist against the metal, calling out his brother's name. "Gilbert!"

The others followed suit, Yao placing a hand on Ludwig's shoulder as Ivan tried, and failed, to open the door. "I think the ghouls have placed something against the door. It will not budge."

"Together then." Ludwig said with a determined look as Ivan nodded.

After a few more minutes however, it was clear that it would not work. "We need Alfred-san's hep too push this." Kiku concluded after watching a tired Ludwig and winded Ivan lean against the warehouse, trying to regain their strength.

"Where is Alfred-san?" Kiku asked, looking around. At last everyone noticed the absence of the American's cheerful voice, looking around with confusion before their eyes rested on Arthur.

"What?" Arthur asked, looking at the others and returning their gazes. "Why are you all looking at me?"

"Do you know where Alfred-san is, Arthur-san?" Kiku asked politely,

"Why would I know where the bloody git is? I'm not his babysitter! Besides, he ran off somewhere before the attack and- Oops." Arthur said, covering his mouth and wishing he could take it back.

Too late. Already the others were glaring at Arthur, seeing as Alfred wasn't around. Their sudden rage burned intensely and Arthur felt himself grow nervous.

Before the others could speak however, Arthur cut in. "N-no. He was just doing something! He had an idea and-"

Looks of disbelief crossed everyone's face as Arthur sighed. By mentioning Alfred's moment of terror; of fear, he had probably just destroyed most, if not all, of Alfred's chances to gain respect from any of his teammates.

"Look, I'll go find him, okay? I'll-"

"We need a new leader, da?" Ivan said cheerfully, a smile on his face.

"I will be leader then!" Ludwig said bluntly as Ivan frowned. An argument began as Arthur looked at the two back and forth, he grumbled and looked at Kiku, giving him an apologetic look as he hastily ran off.

_Bloody Alfred, leaving me with this… I'm going to get his arse back here!_ Arthur thought angrily, marching towards the van. It was a place to start looking at least. He didn't know why he took this job upon himself though. Kiku could have easily done it, or even Ludwig or Ivan, but he had a nagging feeling that he should be the one to find the git.

_It's not like I'm worried about him._ Arthur thought, marching towards the van with heavy feet. Making a loud thumping sound as his shoes hit concrete and wood. He just can't leave like that, not with half of them still stuck in the warehouse with the ghoul. Ghouls.

Still, despite what he said, Arthur couldn't help but picture that kicked puppy look Alfred had given him in the warehouse. Something about those eyes, that expression, his trembling form as he stood there looking at Arthur. That muttering Arthur thought he heard. Now he wasn't so certain that he imagined it; those words that escaped Alfred mouth just before Feliciano's cry.

"_P-Please… Help me..."_

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><p><strong>Authors Note: (=w=") I'm… A bit behind in updates I think… But it's been about a week, ne?<strong>

**So yay! A bit of excitement, right? Or at least, it seemed kinda exciting when I wrote it. Erh… Well, at least its long! I did promise it to be long! About 4000 words *Little less if you don't count the Authors Note* **

**Well, well, well, Alfred. You are a vampire after all! This chapter is probably gonna have lots of things concerning Alfred and Arthur. Starts of friendships are always fun to write. Then again, this is what I consider Alfred's and Arthur's arc. *Which I will label soon once it becomes more apparent. XD**

**Ugh… On random notes, I have a dentist appointment to get all four of my wisdom teeth out… *Again 8U* So I hope to write a bit while I heal. This reminds me, I should probably upload those chapters I wrote on my ipod and add them to the main document… I'm at about 90,000 words right now! Look forwards to a little more excitement! *I wanted to make this a fun chapter, seeing as you all had 32 chapters of boring introduction arc. A)***

**(^u^) {***_**Goes to write it* Not quite finished yet.**_

**щ(****ﾟ****Д****ﾟ****щ){Y U SO SLOW?!**

**Hehe, sorry, I like using these things. **

**Well anyways! Happy New Year! Year of the Snake in February I think~ I hope your holidays were fun too, and I'll see you on the 2013 side! (-u^)~**

**Thanks for all the new faves, alerts, reviews~ You're the best~ *Passes you lemon tarts* Christmas tradition, still got some left.**

**Reviews are welcome~ Flames are used to light the New Years Fireworks *Which I still don't have. XD***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	37. Arthur Arc: Chapter 37: Blood

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Alfred was running; once again he had failed miserably. He had tried to stay optimistic, but that last moment there, it was like reality had just sunk a little bit lower on his shoulders. He had definitely failed as a leader; that was clear when he couldn't even answer the call from Ludwig. When he couldn't do a thing as the others panicked and chaos ensued. When he ran away in the face of danger and left his teammates. He failed to restrain himself too. That man looked so tempting, so succulent and –<p>

_No._

_No. No. No. Not that._ Alfred's mind screamed at him as he slowed his running. He was near the van now, his hand outstretched as he gently touched the back of it, the cool metal somehow soothing right now.

"Damn… Why am I so bad at this? Why can't I control anything? Do right in anything…" Alfred muttered, sighing.

His normal confident self was dampened by his insatiable hunger, by the weight of these new responsibilities, by the suddenness of the attack and the lack of proper grounding of well, anything. Things were piling on him too fast. It was overwhelming; too much for him right now. He wanted to curl up and block things out; not come out until he was ready. Only he didn't know when that would be, if ever.

"_Problems?"_ Allred's voice came to Alfred's mind, loud and clear. He could almost picture the red-heads triumphant smirk.

_Go away!_ Alfred thought, wishing it was possible to scream within your head. "Go away, go away, go away!" he shouted, hitting his head with his hand as though trying to knock out Allred from his mind. If only he could shake him out, or get some tweezers and just pluck him out.

"_I can help you know. Just let me-"_

"Shut up! I don't need you! I don't need your help, I don't- I can-" Alfred cried out, holding his head. This was too much, the thirst and the pressure from Allred . When he ran, he had caught a glimpse of Feliciano and Yao, they were being lifted up towards the ceiling by some force. He assumed the ghouls, but he didn't know as he hadn't stopped long enough to find out. Just from that, he knew there were still people stuck in the warehouse, maybe all of them. He didn't know.

"_You can what?"_

Alfred felt a few tears falling down his face as he leaned against the back of the van, sinking down until his bottom hit solid ground.

"I don't know…"

"_No one knows how much stress you're under. You need help. You need someone who can take charge, if only temporarily and that someone s me."_ Allred said. His voice, though deep, was softer now, almost coaxing. It left Alfred feeling a little light headed. Yes, he wanted such relief, and yes, he would love it that someone would just take over for him. Just for now, while he tried to get things together. It wasn't like he couldn't do this, right?

"_That's right. Just let go for a moment, the others will be fine." _Allred said as Alfred felt the familiar nudging.

For a split second, Alfred could feel his resolve waiver, his mental wall coming down.

"_No!" _A light voice snapped.

"_Damn it Alfie. Get out of here!"_

"_No! No! Alfred, fight back! Fight back!"_

Upon hearing the light voice; Alfred resurfaced from his haze, not enough though. Not enough. It was like resurfacing in a sea. He was still in the water with nowhere to go, but his head was, at least for the moment, above the water level. He tried to push against Allred, but for some reason, his mental wall he had; it was weak. He couldn't seem to build it high enough. He didn't understand why he couldn't push back as strongly. How on Earth had he become so mentally weak?

"Alfred!"

The familiar voice cut through Allred's words, causing Alfred's head to snap up and meet emerald green eyes that seemed to pierce the thick fog in his mind and stare through him, momentarily bringing Alfred back. He shrunk back from the angry gaze as Arthur ran the last few steps before kneeling down to Alfred's level, a disapproving frown on his face.

"You! You bloody git! You completely foolish boy! Why did you leave like that!" Arthur yelled, his angry gaze shooting daggers at the vampire. "I can't believe you did that. All the while, everyone was getting attacked! You just abandoned us and it was the first assignment!" Arthur said, angry words spewing from his mouth before he could stop them.

Alfred's face was shadowed by his bangs and he gave no sign of having heard Arthur. Instead he continued to sit there, leaning against the van as Arthur placed a none-to-gentle hand on Alfred's shoulder, trying to get the boy to look him in the eye. Lectures never work unless there's eye contact, and Arthur was angry. He wasn't going to let this slide.

"Oi! Are you listening? Goodness, it's no wonder you can't l-"

Suddenly Arthur stopped mid-sentence, he saw, or rather, felt, something land on his hand that caused an abrupt halt in whatever plans he had for the boy. Gently brushing away the boys bangs, Arthur looked at Alfred's tear streaked face. The boys light blue eyes had lost any glow of happiness, to be replaced with fear and confusion as unshed tears clung to the corner of his eyes.

"Arthur. I-I'm sorry… I can't… I don't…" Alfred squeaked pitifully, trying to form a coherent sentence.

Arthur felt his anger dissipate faster than a drop of water on a hot skillet. The tone Alfred used, forget that he actually said his name and not that ridiculous nickname, it was the tone that got to Arthur the most. It was full of overwhelming confusion and panic; a need. Need for what, Arthur didn't understand, but there was something clearly wrong, something that was bothering Alfred enough that he was in tears.

Steeling his resolve, Arthur looked at Alfred, keeping eye contact. He wasn't backing down this time, he would find out.

"Alfred, what is wrong?" Arthur asked; his voice strong and commanding. He would not let the boy avoid this question. A question that had been asked before, only yesterday actually, but even when Matthew asked, Alfred would not disclose the answer. Why wouldn't he? He couldn't fathom, but no matter what the reason, seeing Alfred like this… He had to know.

"I-I" Alfred stared at Arthur, wincing before looking down. "I-I can't hold him back. I could, but all of a sudden it's too hard." He muttered softly, still fighting a mental battle with Allred. He placed his hands on his head, his eyes squeezing shut. He looked like his head was about to explode.

Arthur's expression changed from fierce to confused as he absorbed Alfred's words. What did that mean? "What? Alfred, what do you mean?"

Alfred tilted his head up, his eyes snapping open to meet Arthur's, causing the angel to stumble boys eyes were no longer the bright blue, now they were blood red once again, boring into Arthur's bright green orbs.

For a moment, a strange emotion crossed Alfred's face, sending chills down Arthur's spine. Alfred looked at him… Hungrily.

Suddenly something clicked in Arthur's brain, though he still didn't know who "Him" was, he at least knew why Alfred's mental stability seemed… Compromised. "You idiot! Newly changed vampires need blood each day for at least a solid month!" Arthur said exasperatedly, taking an extra step back from the hungry vampire. How could the American be so stupid! Didn't the boy know this? Wasn't he informed?! "When was the last time you had blood?! Did you even have some yesterday?!"

Alfred just shook his head, too far into his mental battle to give Arthur any solid signs of acknowledgement.

Arthur gritted his teeth. Vampires, especially newly born ones, needed blood each day. The cells in the body are still under subtle change, which takes energy, and energy for vampires comes from blood. If they didn't have any, then eventually their mental abilities diminish until they fall prey to their primitive vampire instincts. Already Alfred's mental abilities seemed… Less than normal. What, with him spouting confusing claims of a "Him" trying to overtake his mind, he seemed to have a mental buffer.

At least, that was what Arthur hoped, only with this conclusion however, came a new set of problems.

_I need to get him blood. _Arthur thought, looking around the area as Alfred shuddered again. _But how? Where? All there is-_

Arthur stopped the thought before he could voice it. _No way, absolutely not. That is out of the question._

"B-Besides. It's not even human blood." Arthur muttered, trying to reason with himself. "It wouldn't be good. Who knows what would happen if he-"

Alfred groaned, cutting Arthur off. The angel turned and took one look at the vampire, frowning and kneeling to the ground in front of Alfred, who had shut his eyes once again. There went his resolve.

The American stared at Arthur with confusion on his face as the angel rolled up the sleeve on his dark shirt, turning his head to look away.

"A-Arth-"

"Take some blood. You're not going to last like this, we need everyone on the team." Arthur muttered, not making eye contact. At least, this was how he convinced himself to give Alfred his arm. The team was important and it was their duty to each other to help one another in such a situation. Besides, from the loud shouts some meters down near the warehouse, the others weren't going to decide on a leader anytime soon.

Alfred seemed at recoil at Arthur's words, shuffling backwards and pressing his back against the van. For a moment his eyes changed back to blue, but looking at the arm; they were once again red as he continued his inner struggle.

"Look, you won't kill me. I'll stop you before that will ever happen, plus I heal quickly so it won't be that taxing. Just-"

Shaking his head, Alfred tried to push the arm away, only for Arthur to move it back. "N-No! I can't do it! It- It's wrong! To take blood from someone and-"

"Damn it Alfred! Just take it already! I can't wait all day! You think you'll be okay until you reach the school and see ? Look at you, Alfred! You're leaning against a van shaking like a leaf! You abandoned your bloody team because you were going to attack that man; which by the way was a ghoul!" Arthur said angrily, his green eyes piercing Alfred's as he continued.

"Do you know what happens to a vampire who doesn't drink blood? The loose their sanity and go on a giant killing spree, drinking blood until they feel like bursting and leaving no survivors!" Arthur cried, trying to get this through to Alfred. He had always thought, since the past few days, that the boy had been living, or trying to live, with a foot in both worlds. No one was able to tell him reality, not even Matthew. Why everyone was so hesitant, he may never know, but now Alfred needed his head in the game. He needed to get a dose of reality and Arthur decided he had to do the job. At least if it meant Alfred saw some kind of reason.

"No! I can't! Arthur, if I do I-"

"You'll what, lose your humanity? Lose your dignity?! Alfred, you're a bloody vampire! You've got no humanity left! The life you knew before this is gone; it's not coming back!" Arthur could hear his voice rising, he was nearly screaming at Alfred. He saw his hands on the boy's shoulders as he shook Alfred none too gently. He didn't know when his hands appeared on Alfred's shoulders, only that memories were starting to open up, like books in a library. Reality checks, he had to give too many of these in his lifetime…

"Y-You're wrong. I can go-"

"Has it occurred to you Alfred, that there is no place to go? Have you considered that, you can't go back to your home, you can't hide in society! What about when you need blood? You'll go mad if you don't get it and you'll kill Alfred. You'll kill. You can't undo these things. You're going against your nature, get used to it and face reality!" Arthur could hear himself now, yelling at the boy who sat and took it all. He said nothing to this, but Arthur could see that he was upsetting Alfred. He could see the reality hitting Alfred hard and though he felt terrible, he knew Alfred didn't deserve this now, but still he couldn't stop. He didn't know what possessed him to say these things, especially now of all times, only that he couldn't shut his mouth; halt his words. Not yet.

"Damn it, if you don't accept the reality of this Alfred! Go against all the facts that stare you in the face. Brush off everything that people have been trying to tell you; hinting at you. You'll end up- End up like him." Arthur trailed off, rubbing his eyes as though it was preventing memories from coming back, not just rubbing away stray tears. A certain memory had come up; one that felt like a physical punch in the gut. Only now was most definitely not the time to be nostalgic.

Arthur pried his hands off Alfred's shoulders, once again holding his arm out for Alfred. "Look, just take the blood. Take it and help the team. Matthew said you had a hero complex, so act like a hero and be brave." He said, sounding exhausted.

Alfred kept his mouth shut, staring at Arthur. Quietly, with no words spoken, he took Arthur's arm; feeling exhausted all of a sudden. He could see the precious liquid flowing through the veins in Arthur's arm, feel it pulse as his mouth involuntarily watered. Things seemed far away now, like looking through a fishbowl underwater as he looked up and met the Brit's gaze momentarily. He opened his mouth and gave in to the hunger, his teeth easily piercing Arthurs pale skin. He felt the deep red liquid flowed down his throat as his mind went blank.

Meanwhile, Arthur winced as he felt the teeth touch and then break through his skin. There was no pain, luckily, but it was still a strange sensation. He felt his mind grow hazy, like the world had just blacked out and all that was left was Alfred in front of him, and himself. He felt his knees touch the ground as his legs gave; thank goodness he was crouching before or he would fall right on top of Alfred.

"A-Alfred… I think that's… goo-"

Then suddenly, he wasn't kneeling on the ground anymore.

Instead, Arthur found himself kneeling in a blank space, a red-tinged fog in every direction with only the solid feeling of something under him. It was the only way he could tell he was sitting right-way-up.

Arthur jumped to his feet, instantly alert as he looked around the space. His gaze didn't reach very far, as the moment he turned around, he nearly smacked into Alfred.

At least, he thought it was Alfred. Only this Alfred had dark red-brown hair, his mouth set in a line as he looked at Arthur. His eyes though, it made Arthur shudder.

Red. Not a blood red like before when Alfred was in need of blood, this was a darker red somehow, though it was fairly similar to the red eyes from yesterday. They were full of malicious intent and yet somehow… Amusement? Like they had just found new prey.

"Oh… Bollocks."

The Alfred in front of him smiled.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: (o7o) Look! Exactly a week! *Wiggles in glee* ~(030~) I'm not late!**

**-but I'm back in school. *sighs* I suppose I'm kinda glad though, I've had one of the most laziest holidays I can remember. I don't think staying inside your room for days is a good thing.**

**So… This chapter kind of wrote itself. I think I stretched things a bit though; the whole topic. Plus I tried really hard to save some special information for later and for the second part of Arthur's character story. I think I tried too hard and probably lost some quality in the process. (vnv")**

**Well anyways! I hope this chapter wasn't that repetitive and boring. I'll try harder! (QAQ)**

**Updates may be a little slow but I promise to make an effort to stay on time! I've written a few more chapters and have to proofread it, but I'm nearly done this arc! Oh and, if you haven't read the character stories *there is only Feliciano and Lovino's story and Arthur's half complete story so far*, they're on my stories list! *Shameless advertising* I'll be working a bit on Arthur's part two now. I want to get it done before this arc ends. ("OuO)**

**Thank you to all you new reviewers and the faves and alerts! Give yourselves a pat on the back; here's a soufflé! *any flavor you want!* and cookies if you prefer the latter. (^7^)-o**

**Reviews are welcome~ Flames are going to be used to heat the home. It's a bit chilly here.**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	38. Arthur Arc: Chapter 38: What

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Welcome." The Alfred said cheerfully, looking at Arthur. Arthur took a step back in response.<p>

"A-Alfred?"

Laughing, the Alfred lookalike shook his head. "Nah, name's Allred." He said, winking.

Arthur shuddered, Allred did not exude any hint of comfort for his confused mind and that wink just left Arthur feeling nervous. This was not the bubbly American that Arthur was just with; that was for sure.

"Where am I?" Arthur asked, looking around.

"Why you're in my home, or Alfred's head. Whichever you wanna call it." Allred replied, shrugging. He didn't seem to make any other moves, and definitely not in a pose to attack, so Arthur loosened his posture, though he was still on his guard.

"What do you mean, Alfred's head?" Arthur asked cautiously, feeling unnerved by that response.

"I mean you're inside the head of Alfred. Geez, don't get your feathers in a ruffle." Allred said, stating it bluntly and rolling his eyes.

"Wait, but I was in-"

"Don't look at me for answers. I know nothing. Just that his mind has sunk into the feeding state and I can't do anything but wait." Allred said, shrugging. "No matter, I'll get back to him later. He put up quite a fight."

Arthur jolted, staring at Allred. "What? Then are you-"

A whimper cut across the silent, foggy space causing Arthur to turn his head. A few feet away, Alfred, the real Alfred, was curled in a fetal position with his hands on his head and his eyes squeezed shut.

"Alfred!" Arthur called, running over to the boy. All thoughts of Allred were pushed back as he focused on Alfred's curled form.

"You can't help him you know. His mind is stuck in the feeding frenzy. He won't respond until he is sated. With your blood by the way." Allred said, smirking.

_Oh right. Alfred was drinking my blood._ Arthur thought,_ I- I have to get him to stop. _

Already Arthur felt weak in the legs. Even now he must have been losing blood. How long had Alfred been drinking? How much more could he lose before he collapsed? How could he be moving right now; wasn't his arm stuck in Alfred's grip? Maybe he was just losing grip on reality from blood loss?

"A-Alfred!" Arthur kneeled down, touching Alfred's shoulder. Alfred immediately convulsed, shaking before calming down a moment later. So Arthur couldn't touch him? That made things difficult.

"What do I do…" Arthur muttered. He had to snap Alfred out of this, to save himself and to get the lad back. He didn't know what Allred was planning, but he knew he had to get out of here. Take Alfred with him. That is; if he could. Didn't Allred say they were inside Alfred's head?

_You have holy power, mister. _ A voice said. It rang through Arthur's head, causing Arthur to nearly scream in surprise before he squeezed his mouth shut. Allred didn't seem to have heard the voice, or if he did, he gave no indication.

_Wh-what? What the bloody hell was that? _Arthur thought, his eyes darting around the area. Nothing was there.

_You have holy powers. You can help him._ The voice said again. It was light, cheerful. It made Arthur picture a child, maybe he looked like Alfred. Hesitantly, Arthur responded, not speaking but thinking. Would it work?

_Ho-how do you-_

_You have holy power. The light around you is filled with holy magic. _

_You're mistaken. I don't have any holy power. I'm a-_

_An angel. You're an angel, right, mister?_

_No! I'm not! Not anymore. Things… Happened. I fell… _

_You still are even if you don't think so. _The voice replied, it sounded so confident, so sure. Innocent. Arthur was almost convinced, the amount of excitement and belief. But, no. Nothing any strange voice said would change the past. Shaking his head, Arthur said nothing in response.

_The light you make. It is filled with a hope and with a kindness. It is-_

_It's a light magic. Nothing more. _Arthur said insistently, frowning. Allred looked suspicious now, seeing how quiet Arthur was being.

_Quickly, before He comes. Your light magic can help him! _

_Maybe… he doesn't want help._ Arthur thought bitterly, thinking of all the times he tried and got rejected but the vampire. He wondered if such a conclusion was true.

_Then convince him to get it. You're his friend, right? Surely you can see how stubborn he is, mister. He does need help._

Arthur hesitated, his head nodding unconsciously. It was true, he did think Alfred needed help, or at least, some kind of person to talk to. When he had first arrived, Arthur had Yao to talk to; to confide in. Alfred did have Matthew, yet he somehow got the feeling Alfred wouldn't open up to Matthew as much as he would with someone else. Maybe it was to prevent his brother from worrying, or maybe for another reason entirely, but Alfred was too proud to admit it. Was it his hero complex that was getting in the way? Was it simply that he couldn't trust anyone here? Perhaps he, Arthur, should have just been more pressing. He knew from various accounts that some students had trouble transitioning into this new life. Not everyone started as a monster…

Arthur's thoughts were interrupted as he felt Allred's presence, feeling him leaning over him and seeing his shadow on the hazy, red-tinged ground.

"Having a conversation with Alfie?" Allred asked, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

"Alfie?" Arthur replied, confused. He assumed that must be the lighter voice; but somehow his confused tone seemed to make Allred even more suspicious.

"Now!" The bright voice called, only this time it wasn't in his head. Arthur watched as a small boy jumped from the haze, tackling Allred. "Mister, please!"

Arthur caught a glimpse of the boy's face. It indeed looked like Alfred, only much younger. Like one of a little cherubs in his home. Before he could do anything more though, Allred let out an angry cry; trying to regain his footing.

"You! Alfie, I'm so tired of your interference!" Allred growled, kicking Alfie off of him. Arthur watched helplessly. Alfred winced and clutched his head, as though the battle somehow was hurting him too.

Face contorted in confusion and uncertainty, Arthur turned his focus back to Alfred.

_It's now or never mister! Please; try!_ Alfie's voice rang in Arthur's head like booming church bells; nearly sweeping Arthur off his feet from the intensity.

A moment's hesitation and Arthur turned to face Alfred, placing his hand on the boy gently and doubting this would work; ignoring how Alfred seemed to convulse under his touch.

"I wish I we're Matthew right now." Arthur muttered; thinking of the ghost boy's healing ability. He focused his energy, willing the bright glow to appear and shut his eyes in case it came out blinding. Vaguely he could hear the scuffle between Alfie and Allred, but he had to focus now.

Slowly, a white glow appeared from under his hand. It was like a weak flashlight, but was growing in intensity. It remained focused in his hand for a moment before seeming to reach out for Alfred, spreading over the vampire like water until he was completely surrounded by the light. Arthur wasn't sure what to do now.

"I-Uh…" Arthur hesitated before he winced suddenly. He felt a pain in his wrist but continued to hold his kneeling stance, his hands still stretched over Alfred's curled figure.

Alfred was no longer whimpering or twitching but was perfectly still.

_He looks like he could be sleeping,_ Arthur thought absently. Around them, sounds dulled and movement seemed to go in slow motion as he felt warmth escape him and flow down his arms, to his hands and to Alfred.

Suddenly, the hazy world around Arthur vanished as quickly as it came, the real world rushing back and materializing. Now he was kneeling, nearly pitched forwards against Alfred, who was holding him up by placing his hands on the angel's shoulders. They; or at least he was, back at the docks. The van behind Alfred was there now and the soft sounds of water lapping against the dock filled Arthur's ears as tall cement walls of warehouses could be seen from the corner of his eyes; surrounding them.

"A-Alfred?" Arthur said, staring at Alfred in shock.

"Artie." Alfred responded. He was no longer shaking; all traces of tears gone and his eyes were no longer the intense blood-red. Now they were a light blue, but they seemed lighter almost. Like a weight was just lifted off his shoulders. Only one thing seemed to mar those perfect sky-blue orbs and it was a cloud of worry as they looked at Arthur.

Arthur smiled gently and then everything went dark as he collapsed in Alfred's arms.

* * *

><p>Alfred snapped out of his haze only to find himself holding Arthur's arm with his mouth sucking the coppery liquid. He recoiled immediately, tearing his mouth from the arm and watching in horror as it continued bleeding. "Oh, crap! Oh man, stop!"<p>

_Of course, yelling at the wound would stop it._ Alfred thought bitterly, looking around for something to wrap it in. He had no chance to get up however as Arthur pitched forwards, his eyes shut. He looked extremely pale and Alfred had only a few seconds notice to catch Arthur by the shoulders and hold him up.

Arthur's eyes fluttered open as Alfred, sighed in relief.

"A-Alfred?"

Alfred looked carefully at Arthur. His head throbbed a little, yet seeing Arthur's bright green eyes looking into his; he felt lighter somehow. He didn't fully understand what happened, but he felt like he had finally surfaced from the ocean he was trapped in, landing ashore on a small island.

The island had emerald-green fields of grass with bright, golden flowers.

Then his island collapsed in his arms.

"Oh sh- Arthur!" Alfred cried, shaking the boy. Arthur was out cold and for good reason. His wrist was still bleeding as Alfred hadn't been able to tend to it and now Arthur looked as pale as… Well, as pale as his brother. Arthur hung limp in Alfred's arms, having pitched forwards when he fainted and his head was against Alfred's chest.

If it could, Alfred's heart would have been beating fast, but instead it was silent as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Ah, crap man! I gotta stop the bleeding, gotta find something to stop it with" Alfred muttered, frantically looking around.

_Try licking it. _Allred's exhausted voice rang in Alfred head. He sounded tired and winded. Weak even and Alfred wondered what had happened.

_What? Lick?!_ Alfred felt repulsed at the thought, but Allred just chuckled.

_Fine, don't believe me. But from your knowledge in vampire movies, it won't hurt to try._

Alfred frowned, feeling Allred retreat to the back of his mind. Strangely enough, it was easier to push Allred away. Not entirely. No, he would never fully at bay, but it was easier all the same.

_Maybe it was the blood?_ Alfred wondered, or maybe… He looked at Arthur but shook his head. Carefully, he moved Arthur so the angel was leaning against the van. He was surprisingly light though, and with a morbid thought wondered if it was because he was so low on blood.

Alfred took Arthur's arm in his hand and staring at the cut his teeth had made. It wasn't like those stereotypical two-hole puncture like the movies. It was just a faint semi-circle. Not pretty, that was for sure.

"Ugh, can't believe I'm doing this…" Alfred said, leaning down and giving the cut a lick. He shuddered as the taste of blood hit his tongue, but pulled back nonetheless and watched, surprised, as the cut seemed to smooth over, a faint pink line forming before disappearing completely. If not for the memory of where the bite mark was, Alfred would have thought it was never there in the first place.

"Dude" Alfred whispered, "So awesome…" He could almost hear Arthur's facepalm and was only a little glad Arthur was still out.

As soon as the cut healed, Arthur stirred and Alfred shuffled back as the Brit's eyes opened. He stared at Alfred for a moment before looking at his arm, seeming to be in a dream-like state; moving sluggishly. He stared at it for a moment before his large brows furrowed in confusion before he jumped to his feet, pointing at Alfred. His stance wavered a bit though as he stumbled, still light-headed from blood loss.

"What the bloody- You! You bit here, I saw it! And where's that weird lookalike! And-And that tiny kid and why are you smiling!" Arthur yelled, his arms flailing as his large eyebrows came together in confusion.

Alfred chuckled, seeing Arthur lose it was actually somehow amusing. Like a small kid with wings throwing a tantrum.

"I did! But when I licked it, it just closed up! Like magic!" Alfred said excitedly. He felt stronger now, more like his normal self. His throat wasn't burning and his stomach wasn't empty. Although, he knew that his stomach was full of Arthur's blood, he tried not to think about it though.

"Good lord, you licked me!" Arthur said, staring at his arm and shaking it as though there was something clinging tightly to it.

Alfred couldn't help it, seeing Arthur's frantic pose as he shook off invisible germs. He laughed.

"Shut up, git! Stop laughing. After I helped you too! What ungrateful thanks!" Arthur said angrily.

"Sorry! Sorry." Alfred said, sobering as Arthur mentioned how he had to help. A feeling of shame crept upon Alfred, causing him to fall silent and nudge his foot on the ground.

Both boys sighed for a moment, Arthur leaning against the van, still feeling weak. "So…"

"So." Alfred replied, looking away. "What did I? What did you-"

"I met Him. At least, I think that's what you were referring to as Him." Arthur said, crossing his arms and keeping eye contact with Alfred.

Alfred gulped, "Allred?" he said questioningly, stiffening as Arthur nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me Alfred? Matthew? The principals? Anyone?" Arthur asked. He could see the boy wanted to add something more. Perhaps about the long chewing out that he had done prior, but he wouldn't give Alfred the chance. "You could have been killed. The others could still be killed. This assignment is a group effort and you're jeopardizing it! I want a full explanation Alfred. I want to know why you're worth all this trouble!" Arthur said angrily, stomping his foot on the ground. While only a few moments ago he was relieved to be alive, he was slowly getting back his normal, unhindered mind. It was rising up from the cloudy soup of confusion and light-headed blood-loss, and it was not happy.

For Arthur, it slowly occurred to him; why was he risking this for Alfred? Why was he compelled to follow this boy who only recently joined this school? The answers weren't coming to him, not now at least.

Alfred opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Ludwig's shout and a distinct "kolkolkol" sound, coming from back at the warehouse. Instantly his attention shifted as his head turned to face the building; wondering what was happening.

"Look, we should go back and focus on the team. You said it's a group effort, right?" Alfred said, not meeting Arthur's gaze. "I'll heading over there to find out the problem."

Arthur opened and closed his mouth, like a fish out of water. He didn't want this subject dropped just like that! He wanted a straight answer from Alfred; he wanted to understand exactly what was wrong! He wanted to… What did he want?

Instead though, as Arthur heard another shout from Ludwig, he gave a curt nod, tossing all his thoughts to the back of his mind and following behind Alfred as they walked slowly back to the warehouse entrance.

Both boys' heads were swimming with thoughts; wanting to say things; wanting to hide things too, but the most important message seemed to be an unvoiced, unanimous decision between them.

"_We __**will **__talk about this later."_

That was the only conclusion that both boys could come to; at least for now.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I'm late… OnO") Sorry everyone… m(_ _)m<strong>

**I have a some *bad?* news. I won't be updating the story for two weeks… *Though I may try to update next week; but I can't guarantee* I have Mid-Terms. Remember those things I complained about many chapters ago last year… They're back! (;.; ) *Four; possibly five.***

**School Is a writer's block of its own; I say! But on the brighter side; I'll do my best to keep writing when I have the chance so I'll have pre-made chapters and hopefully on-time updates. *I'm just so lazy; I only need to beta my work!* **

**But! This arc is around the middle point now. *I think?* I have yet to say it's proper title; but I'm sure you guys can guess by now. (w )*Though it was meant to be mostly Arthur's arc. I fail; sorry. OTL* Soon will be the - next then - and I really look forwards to a - arc~ That will be fun to write; but I think some of you may hate me for what events may transpire in it... (;w;" ) We'll see~ **

**Hey hey~ Feel free to ask questions you know; I've had a couple from some and I'm happy to answer it if things are getting confusing! **

**Also also! Some people have mentioned fanart of this story. (QwQ) Gosh; I can't believe this story is actually good enough to have a person think of drawing something for it. Forget if it's even finished *though it's nice to see finished art XD*; the fact someone wants to make this story some art makes me want to cry rainbows of happiness. That said; feel free to do such things as fanart! Don't even have to ask; it's a free world out there! Just link me them, please! I'll favorite them and everything! (;7; )**

**Oh Oh! Guess what? This story has passed its 200****th**** review! *Cries rainbows of joy as she passes out celebratory cookies* **

**The reviewer is PiffBee! So big thanks to PiffBee and all the other reviewers for getting this story to reach that many reviews! Without you guys, this story wouldn't have any reviews at all; so give yourselves a pat on the back and have a Hetalia. *Passes you a Hetalia character to celebrate with* and cake *passes you 200****th**** review party cake* **

**Thanks to all reviewers! Also favoriters and followers and new readers and everyone who gave this story their time of day! You're all great!**

**Reviews are welcome, flames are combined with some of England's cooking to produce heat for cold homes. Also contributing to pollution in the world; but England's cooking has to go somewhere if not in stomachs, right? *Hides from being scone'd***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	39. Arthur Arc: Chapter 39: Forming A Plan

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Nein! I will lead. We must go in all at once and attack! Don't wait for them to come out here! We have to get the hostages; they're our priority!" Ludwig yelled. He gritted his teeth as Ivan just chuckled, his smile never faltering.<p>

"Nyet. To wait for them to come out and ambush them is the right plan. It will be easier to attack them in the open, rather than inside the building." Ivan replied calmly. The tension between the two boys was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

"D-Does anyone want to hear my idea?" A soft voice asked, completely ignored by the others.

"That is an outrageous plan! The longer we wait; the more damage that could be done to the others!" Ludwig countered, trying to refrain from punching Ivan. That smug smile was taunting him, everyone could tell. It was just waiting for him to punch; to show the smiling boy in front of him that his resolve weakened.

Ivan chuckled, that's right. A few more pushes and Ludwig would fold. He would be leader because the others would see that his temperament could get in the way. It would mean a bruise, but ultimately, the sacrifice was nothing compared to the reward. "Nyet, if we go in, we shall all be captured and then we will lose. Although, is it perhaps Ludwig does not want to let little F-"

"A-Ah! Ludwig-san, don't-" Kiku jumped forwards, already knowing he would be too late.

Ludwing let out a bellowing yell, running forwards with his fist raised.

Only to be stopped by a pale hand.

"Dude, Ludwig. Chill. No need to hit a teammate." Alfred said with a wink. Everyone was baffled at how fast Alfred had appeared.

Kiku regained his footing, having been ready to rush forwards and stop Ludwig. He had watched as Alfred came speeding through, stopping Ludwig's fist. One moment nothing and the next moment, a brown blur and Alfred stood in front of the German, his strength easily rivaling the other as he stopped the fist with what seemed to be ease.

"Bloody hell! Don't just run ahead like that!" Arthur said, landing on the ground with a flap of his wings. Alfred had just sped off when the others came into view; leaving behind othing but a few kicked up leaves. Arthur had to fly just to keep up. "What was the rush fo- Oh."

"Kindly let go of my hand, Alfred." Ludwig muttered, the tension of repressed anger still strong, causing his arm to shake. It seemed that both boys were putting equal amounts of force in their arms, causing a stalemate between them. Perhaps a good thing though, else Alfred would be blown back over the edge of the dock.

Alfred let go immediately and Ludwig backed up, trying to keep his anger at bay as he glared at Ivan.

"So we were attacked, right? When I ra- I mean, when Feliciano screamed. That was when it happened?" Alfred said, trying to set the facts straight and get everyone focused on the more important matter.

Arthur gave a nod, slightly impressed. So he was paying attention after all.

"Ja, that's around the time. We were spread out; or at least, I was pretty far from the others. I assume though, that we were fairly scattered around the warehouse." Ludwig said, pushing aside his feelings and veering back on track.

"Okay… Then-" Alfred looked around for a moment. "Wait, where are the-"

"When we ran, the ghouls were closing the doors." Ivan said, his smile gone. "Only we made it through. Feliciano, Lovino, Francis, Gilbert and Yao are still stuck inside. We do not know what happened to them afterwards."

"Ja. That is why I say we go in and find out! We need to attack them inside and get the others out. Who knows what could be happening to them!" Ludwig said, glaring daggers at Ivan.

"I say we wait for them to come out. Ghouls always come out of their home, looking for another person to bother. Often at night when the darkness hides them, so we can ambush them without putting ourselves in danger." Ivan retorted.

"At the cost of the other's lives! While we wait, the monsters inside could be-"

"Well, I agree with Ivan-" Alfred said, causing Ludwig to splutter and open his mouth in protest.

"-But I also agree with Ludwig." Alfred continued, causing Ivan to look at Alfred as his dark aura built up.

"What? That's no help!" Arthur said, voicing the collective thoughts of the group. Everyone nodded, not understanding how that was supposed to solve anything. Alfred laughed at everyone's cluelessness.

"Dude, I'm the leader! I got a plan!" Alfred said confidently. His mind's gears already turning as he spoke. Thanks to the blood, his head seemed clearer and he could focus a lot better. He supposed he owed Arthur one, though the angel probably wasn't on great terms with him at the moment. The thought caused him a moments discomfort as he looked away from Arthur.

"So here's the plan! You all be my backup-"

"Vaht!" Ludwig cried, his German accent slipping in as he stared at Alfred incredulously.

"Nyet, I will not." Ivan said.

"Alfred-san. I-I don't think-"

"Absolutely not!"

"Ah… Well, I'd prefer-"

Alfred held up his hands, trying to calm the others down. "Dude, I'm the leader! You guys gotta do as I say!" his voice held a confident tone still, though Arthur, whom was standing closest to him, could hear it waiver slightly. Alfred himself was unsure if that was the best thing to say now, but nonetheless, he needed everyone's co-operation, be it forced or not.

No one argued with the fact, after all, that was the truth. Alfred was appointed leader by default as such they were meant to follow. Though, they didn't have to like it.

Ludwig muttered something in German as heads slowly nodded. Alfred motioned the demon and the necromancer towards him, making it clear he wanted to talk to them away from the others. Slowly the two followed him, the vampire leading them a short distance away, and began walking with him around the perimeter of the warehouse. He had to form a plan; be the hero!

"'Kay dudes. Tell me exactly what your plans were." Alfred said, stopping in the back of the warehouse and spinning on his heel, facing the two tall teens.

"I think we should wait for the ghouls to come out. We can't attack them inside; it is too difficult to navigate the barrels and crates. We know not how long the ghouls were inside the warehouse for and I am assuming that they know it better than we do." Ivan said, not hesitating to relinquish the information. "To go inside is foolish. They could hurt all of us and then there would be no one left to rescue our comrades."

Ludwig piped up quickly after Ivan finished. "Well I say we go in now. We know about ghouls from our studies, it could take hours or even days for them to come out and they like to play with their targets. Or hostages." Ludwig said, trying to ignore Ivan's taunting expression. "They will be amusing themselves with our teammates before they decide they're bored with them and come outside to find new… Playthings." He grit his teeth at the word. "All we need to do is go in and get the others out. We have completed the assignment, to examine the warehouse. If we get the others out, we can go home and report this to our superiors and wait for them to take the necessary action."

Alfred noted that Ludwig seemed to act almost like a military leader while Ivan seemed to be one of those supreme rulers. It seemed that with their current moods and set minds, they would not accept the other's plan, though both were very good. Nonetheless, he paused for a moment, thinking over what the others had said. Surely there must be a compromise.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Arthur, Kiku and Matthew stood near the front of the warehouse, wondering what was going to happen.<p>

Kiku spoke first though, breaking the silence. There was something on his mind, and perhaps, seeing as Arthur had come with Alfred, the angel would know.

"Arthur-san." Kiku asked softly, watching Arthur look towards him.

"Yes? What's wrong Kiku?" Arthur asked,

"Well, I was wondering. When we got out of the warehouse, you mentioned Alfred. You said he ran away, yet you seemed to know where he was. Is there something going on that the rest of us should know about?" Kiku asked, trying not to give away how suspicious he was feeling.

"A-Ah. Well, you see, Alfred was… He was looking around the perimeter of the building. He thought that it would be a good idea. By ran off, I simply meant he had run off to do some individual scouting." Arthur said, quickly. "I found him near the side of the building."

"I see. Alright then." Kiku said, his eyes studying Arthur before looking towards the direction Alfred, Ivan and Ludwig had walked. "I wonder what they are discussing."

Arthur shrugged, "Probably fighting over who's leading or something. Those three seem to have it out for each other, fighting over such a silly job as to who leads."

Kiku nodded, "True, but it is an important job. Perhaps the way they are fighting over it is a little childish, but not many could handle a job like that."

"I suppose." Arthur said, pondering over that idea. True, it did seem like a hard job, stressful in the very least if he considered Alfred's state… He wouldn't have time to think about that now however, as Alfred's loud voice reached his ears before he even saw the others emerge from the other side of the warehouse. What were they doing walking around the warehouse? Did they think of a plan?

Alfred stopped once he got back to the group, Ivan and Ludwig joining them. His face had a look of intense thought before he finally spoke, addressing everyone. "While I agree we should attack in the open, where we have better room to fight. Only, we can't wait that long for the ghouls to come out, if what Ludwig says is true. I don't want to chance our friends getting hurt if I can help it. So I'll incorporate both your ideas into my own plan, 'kay?"

"…Da, I suppose that is a fair compromise." Ivan said. He seemed appeased at the moment, the plan did sound like it would work. Although, he still smiled tauntingly at Ludwig. "Plus, it's no good having injured underlings! They cannot do hard work if they are injured!"

Ludwig sighed, nodding his head reluctantly. The sooner they did something, the sooner his friends and his brother were rescued. It could work. "Ja, all right. But there still a problem."

Alfred looked confused now. "What?"

Ludwig smirked, wondering if Alfred was always like this. Did he know nothing? "Ghouls cannot be killed or destroyed by mere fist-fights. They have weaknesses, but simply hitting them until they are down is futile. Surely you were listening to Kiku when he mentioned this earlier?"

A small cough from Alfred told the truth. Well, at least now he remembered that… No one had to know... "Ah, refresh my memory maybe?"

Kiku nodded, kindly obliging to the request, placing a hand on his chin in thought. "Ghouls cannot be destroyed unless their malevolent soul is cleansed and released, or they are within direct sunlight in which case they cannot keep their solid forms." He muttered, looking up. "I do not think the sunlight will be of any help to us on this cloudy day."

Alfred sighed, nodding in agreement as he too looked up, scratching his head in confusion and looking away. "Hmm… Well, what about fake sunlight?"

Arthur scoffed, "Where are we going to get fake sunlight?"

To this, Alfred pointed right at Ludwig. "Yo Ludwig, you make light right?" he asked excitedly.

Ludwig frowned, pushing away Alfred's hand and shook his head. "Nein, I do not. I make fire. I am a Will-O-Wisp demon, not a sun spirit." He emphasized this fact, intentional or not, as a few flicks of flam appeared on his shirt, quickly burning out a moment later.

Oh right, Alfred forgot that. Instead he looked to Arthur, "Hmm, what about Artie? He's an angel right? So he's got shiny light magic?"

The angel looked offended. "It's not shiny light magic! It's holy magic! Francis is the one with light magic!" Arthur said angrily, "-uses it to make those stupid sparkles when he flips his hair." He added, mumbling.

"Francis is not here though." Ivan said. Alfred wasn't sure if that was meant to be helpful or just annoying.

'Yeah, I know… But Arthur's got holy magic? Is that like, the stuff that kills zombies or something?" Alfred asked, looking at Arthur curiously. "I thought it was light stuff, 'cause of that bright sph-"

Arthur slapped his hand over Alfred's mouth, feeling as though a vein in his head was bulging out of frustration. "Shut up, git. It's holy magic, not light magic. There's a difference."

"Arthur-san? You can still use your power? I thought you said it was weakening?" Kiku asked, looking at Arthur, puzzled. Arthur looked away.

"Well, I thought it was. I mean, it still is! I- I don't know. Look, let's just save the others, okay?" Arthur said, stuttering and tripping over words.

Alfred looked at Arthur confused, his mouth still covered. He tried to say something but the hand muffled him. He opened his mouth slightly; about to lick the angels hand in hopes of the hand being removed. It worked for his brother a few times, why not Arthur?

"If I remove my hand, you'd better get to the point of things Alfred. No going around in circles, we have half a team to rescue." Arthur said, sounding tired. Alfred nodded quickly; glad he didn't have to lick the hand as the restriction over his mouth dropped away. Didn't Arthur touch the ghouls?

"Okay, well it's an option at least." Alfred said, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand and glaring at Arthur. "Anyways, I went around the warehouse with Ludwig and Ivan and saw a few emergency exits. Those can come in handy, but the main goal is to get the ghouls out and get rid of them!" Alfred said.

"Wait, we are only supposed to examine the warehouse, not exterminate!" Ludwig said suddenly, remembering one of the orders they received from Principal Roma. "I won't go against the superior's orders."

"Actually, Roma-Sensei said that we can take action as we see fit, Ludwig-san. Alfred, being the leader can decide whether it is necessary or not." Kiku said helpfully, Ludwig's frown deepened, causing Kiku to immediately fall silent. He didn't mean to make the mood worse.

To Alfred, it was a stroke of luck and he nodded at Kiku's words. "Yeah! So I think it's better to get rid of them. Besides, we can't walk inside and get them; I don't think the things will just give the others to us."

Arthur sighed, "Ghouls, Alfred."

"Well… It's true these ghouls seem to be acting abnormally. They are not this hostile and I have never heard of so many ghouls working as one like this. Perhaps they are mad?" Kiku added, thinking about the activity they had witnessed. The monsters seemed to work in sync; well planned and co-ordinated. Most abnormal.

"Yeah! So Kiku agrees with me" Alfred said, enthusiastically. Things were going smoothly. "So, that means that everyone's gonna be my bac-"

Glares fell on Alfred as he cleared his throat, rewording. "I mean… You guys are my teammates and we gotta work together to do this, so please uh…" He couldn't say be my back up, he couldn't say be my back up. "-give me your co-operation and we can get our friends back!"

Everyone nodded silently, waiting for his plan and Alfred let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay dudes, this is my plan."

Everyone listened intently, although each was unsure of the plan as well as Alfred's leadership abilities. Not to mention their leader's strange absence when they escaped, though Arthur politely explained to Ivan and Ludwig the same as he told Kiku. There was a sense of unity in the small group; the single shared thought and sole motivation to work together in the group being the fact that those stuck in the warehouse, be they rivals, acquaintances or long-time buddies, were still part of the team. It was funny though, Alfred's enthusiasm for this plan somehow got to them, making them feel just a little bit confident. Each member, as they listened to Alfred's plan, shared a sole, unvoiced thought.

_"For their sake, this has to work…"__  
><em>

Alfred's role of team leader was just starting.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Bleh! Mid-Terms are evil. I feel my creativity sucked out in lieu of studying. At least I had these chapters written. Sorry for the delay!<strong>

**Ugh, I feel like I'm in a bit of a slump, so quality of things and updates may be slightly infrequent, but I did make it my job to complete this giant series, so don't worry about that. I haven't dropped the story yet. (w )**

**Well well, Alfred's finally stepping up to his leader role. I hope this wasn't too OOC. I've been reading a few troll fics and other things like that to make sure I /don't/ write like that, but all it's done is made me kinda unsure about my work. Ah well..**

**I feel like I keep delaying the things though… Does anyone feel like yelling at me to "Just get to the point already!" Please don't hesitate to tell me in a review or PM, I don't want to make everyone unhappy with the content of the chapters. **

**Hrm, but speaking of content and chapters, I'm nearly done a request fic. It's a Valentines day fic that is USUK, so if you suddenly see a new story up, that's it. I hope to be done and release it on Valentines day. *Bet there will be a lot of Hetalia Valentines fics that day! Just gonna toss mine into the mix. u" )**

**Anyways~ I apologize again for the delay! Hopefully I'll be back to weekly updates. Maybe give or take a couple of days. (n ) But Mondays preferably! **

**Thanks to the new reviewers, new faves and subscribers and if you've been getting alerts and bumps about the other fanfic of mine "Magic Stone" I apologize on behalf of my friend Tea. She was sharing this account with me and it was once of her favorite stories. She had good intentions and now we have our own accounts, so it shouldn't happen now. Thanks for the patience~ **

**Reviews are welcome~ Flames are used to keep my room warm when blankets just aren't enough~ **

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	40. Arthur Arc: Chapter 40: Illumination

I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Okay, everyone in position?" Alfred asked, using his walkie-talkie that Ludwig had procured from the van. It seemed the will-o-wisp was well prepared; packing a bag of equipment for team use. Actually, it made Alfred blush in embarrassment at how his teammates were considerably more prepared than him. Feliciano and Lovino even brought long poles, which Alfred suspected they must use for some fighting style of theirs.<p>

"Ja, we're in position outside of the warehouse entrance now. This better work, Alfred. I don't like standing out here with Ivan while you run in, over." Ludwig said, his voice coming through crackly.

"Don't worry! It can't fail!"

"No plan can be guaranteed perfection, over." Ludwig said reproachfully. He really didn't think highly of the plan.

"Yeah I know, but why are you saying over? Some kind of secret code?" Alfred asked, waiting for a response.

"Nein! It's used to tell the receiver when transmission ends to they know when to talk!" Ludwig said annoyed. Alfred only caught the last few words though, not used to releasing the button on the device to hear the other talk.

"Yeah, whatever, but you and Ivan are the strongest! You'll be able to provide good distraction and hold your own, right? Or was I wrong in thinking so?" Alfred said, staring at the little walkie-talkie in his hand. It was a tough enough job just getting the two to agree to stay outside. They were the strongest, aside from Alfred, and he needed a good distraction to keep as many ghouls as possible, busy. He only hoped that little snipe would push Ludwig enough for him to stick to the plan.

"... I will be fine-" Ludwig responded, sounding determined. His pride just got challenged. "But-"

"This demon had better not hold me back, da?" Ivan's voice interrupted Ludwig's, coming through crackling, but Alfred could hear the warning in the necromancer's voice.

"Same to you." Ludwig replied curtly. Alfred heard them argue a moment over the little speaker before he shut the receiver off. They we're making too much noise; it might give away his position.

Instead, Alfred crouched low, quietly climbing the stairs on the side of the warehouse. Upon walking the perimeter with Ludwig and Ivan, he had discovered two emergency exits on each side of the warehouse, which he decided to use to his advantage.

While Ludwig and Ivan distracted the ghouls, the other four would take their chances inside to get their teammates out. He had split the remaining members in two groups, to enter both exits. Matthew and Kiku and himself and-

"Are those two still arguing?" Arthur asked, his voice breaking the silence and making Alfred jump.

"Geez Artie! Don't sneak up-"

"I'm getting in position git! You said I was to go with you!" Arthur retorted before Alfred could say anything more. The vampire let his tense shoulders fall at that; it was true after all. Leaning against the rusting bars of the staircase, he eyed Arthur whom was resting against the wall across from him. There was a tension still hanging in the air between the two as Arthur sighed.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked, looking at the angel with worry. Arthur just shrugged in response, trying to look indifferent.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."

"But you look pale." Alfred added, pointing out the obvious. It was true, Arthur looked pale; a bit more than usual. That is, he was paler than usual. The American's mind wandered for a minute, wondering when the last time Arthur got out in the sun was. "I mean, that is-"

"Alfred-san. We're in position, over." Kiku's voice sounded through the speaker of the walkie-talkie, interrupting Alfred and Arthur and causing both to stand straight in surprise.

"About time Kiku! We expected you to be in place a while ago." Arthur said, taking the device from Alfred's hands before he could react.

"Gomenasai, Arthur-san." Kiku said, "The ghouls are restless now that it is nearing the evening. We had to sneak past them."

"S'fine Kiku!" Alfred said, taking back the device from Arthur. "Okay, is everyone ready? Five second countdown, and follow the plans. If things go crazy- Uh… Yell!"

Arthur gave Alfred a look that just screamed "Really? That's the call for help?" Alfred shrugged, giving Arthur a lopsided smile as they heard the loud boom of the warehouse door being forced open by two of their strongest teammates.

"That must have been Ludwig and Ivan opening the door. Kiku said the sudden disruption will distract the ghouls and their territorial mood will make them attack the two." Alfred said, laying out the plan quickly. He ignored Arthur's eye-roll though. Saying the plan was more of a last-minute way to calm his nerves. "We have a few minutes; let's go" he announced, sounding a bit less-than-confident. Arthur nodded as Alfred pushed open the emergency exit.

They stepped inside, instantly immersed in darkness as the door closed behind them. Their feet made loud noises in the giant warehouse as they hurried across the solid floor of the warehouse. With each footstep, Alfred couldn't help but wince, wondering if a ghoul will hear them and suddenly attack. A fair distance down, the boys could see a square of light where the door was partly opened. Red flashes of what they suspected to be Ludwig's flames were seen sporadically as a chilly draft blew in.

"I can't see a thing in here." Arthur mumbled, taking out his flashlight. From across the building, another light was seen moving. Kiku and Matthew.

"Yeah, me neither... I wonder if there's a light switch?" Alfred asked, feeling his way around.

"I don't know... If only the frog was here. He could light the place with his flashy ability." Arthur replied, shining the flashlight on Alfred. They only brought one; someone needed both hands free in case they had to carry their teammates out. They weren't taking any chances.

"We'll never find them at this rate." Alfred muttered in the darkness, passing by what he assumed was the same blue barrel for the third time. It had only been five minutes, but even Kiku's light was near the same area they originally saw it. "Hey Artie, can't you do something?" He whined, turning to look at the angel behind him.

Freezing in shock, Alfred forgot what he was going to add to his request when he saw something above the unaware angel.

"Arthur!" Alfred called, acting faster than the angel could even register his voice. The vampire darted forwards, hands outstretched in front of him as the ghoul dropped from the ceiling. He felt his hands make contact with the ghoul, feeling the chilled flesh make contact with his own. Squishy and soft; it made Alfred shudder.

"What the-" Arthur looked up, seeing Alfred soar over top of him, missing him by inches. In his surprise, he fallen backwards, now sitting and rubbing his head where it made contact with the hard ground. His back was turned to Alfred. "Now is not the time to play airplane, Alfred!" he cried, not noticing the ghoul.

"Little busy here!" Alfred called back. He had landed on his stomach and was trying to regain his feet as the ghoul, now looking directly at him with glowing green eyes, turned his attention onto him. Alfred shuddered again, the green eyes seeming to wait for him, taunt him. If he looked carefully enough, he could see human features. A mouth, a nose, eyes, but the pale, ripped skin that seemed to shine a pastel blue in the dim flashlight was too unnatural.

"Busy!? We're looking for our friends! You can't be busy!" Arthur replied sounding rather angry now as he got to his feet. He turned quickly, only to gasp as another ghoul was creeping behind Alfred.

Alfred himself was fairly busy with the first one, ducking as it took a swipe at him with pale hands; the nails on them sharp as knives. Not knowing quite what to do, he squeezed his eyes shut and punched the monster. Hard.

The ghoul flew backwards, landing behind some packing crates; he didn't rise.

"Alfred, pay attention!" Arthur cried, running forwards and hitting the ghoul behind Alfred, full on. He didn't know what to do; acting on impulse. Both he and the ghoul fell to the ground, but at least Alfred was saved from a beheading VIA sharp ghoul nails.

"Wha- Artie!" Alfred spun around; hearing Arthur yell and seeing the angel and another pale ghoul roll on the floor. It seemed like a stalemate; the ghoul unable to get to Arthur's vital points to do proper damage and Arthur unable to escape the grip, but also restricted from attacking.

_Gah! What do I do!_ Alfred thought, looking around. The flashlight was on the ground, Arthur having dropped it in lieu of taking action and being Alfred's lifesaver.

_Yet again, huh._ Allred's voice was the last thing Alfred wanted to hear right now. _You're a lot like a damsel in distress than a hero, boy._

Alfred gritted his teeth, ignoring Allred's taunts as he tried to find an opening. Perhaps there was a way to attack the ghoul and not Arthur in the process, but they were turning and twisting together, their movements nearly in sync.

"Alfred! A little help here!" Arthur called out, a gasp coming from him as his head hit a metal barrel.

"Ah, r-right!" Alfred hurried forwards, giving up and planning to simply try to… Pull them apart maybe?

"Bloody hell, that hurts!" Alfred stopped a foot away as Arthur hissed in pain, having been hit by the ghoul's claws. The ghoul had resorted to simply cut down the enemy and was about to hit again, rearing back and raising his claws until-

"Arthur!" Alfred ran forwards, reaching for the closest part of Arthur he could, grabbing Arthur by the shoulders, hoping to pull him out if he could. Arthur's hands were outstretched; ready to protect himself when he felt something grab his shoulders, then suddenly he was blinded.

The same could be said for Alfred, the moment he touched Arthur, he was suddenly blinded as well. In fact, the entire warehouse seemed to be bathed in a white light and the source of the light; was Arthur's hands.

A ball of light had formed in Arthur's hands. It was similar to the one Alfred had seen in the hallway when Arthur was demonstrating his abilities. This one however, was bigger and though it was a white glow, there was an odd, blue hue to it. What was stranger however was how it seemed to be expanding, one moment it was the size of a baseball, now it was the size of a bowling ball. Its bright rays had filled the warehouse with light, illuminating the darkness and causing the remaining ghouls in the warehouse to fly around in confusion.

Arthur's eyes were wide, staring in shock as he squeezed them shut to protect his eyes from the intense light. Alfred watched as the ghoul that was on Arthur, shrank back in fear as the light seemed to intensify and pulse. It flew behind a large crate but couldn't seem to escape the rays as a moment later; it sped towards the warehouse entrance. With the entire warehouse lit up by this giant ball of light, Alfred could see other ghouls flying out in a panic.

"Woah!" Alfred said, stunned as the ball continued to grow. By now it was three times larger than a basketball. He clenched his hands, but feeling Arthur's shoulders still in them, he let go. Almost immediately, the ball stopped expanding, hovering in Arthur's hands as though waiting for the angel to toss it; much like a beach ball. The white light-tinged blue glimmered, but it did not go out.

Arthur, not knowing what else to do, tossed his hands up and the ball gently floated up, like a balloon. It hung in the air above them, still floating up until it hit the ceiling. Arthur stepped back cautiously, as though he thought the orb may just collapse and fall on top of them

"A-Arthur, what is that?" Alfred asked shakily, head tilted up as he looked at it curiously.

"I-I don't-" Arthur stuttered, staring at the orb. He had never in his life made something that massive. It was startling to say the least. He wouldn't be surprised if it just exploded now.

"Arthur-san! Alfred-san!" Kiku called, carefully stepping down some old metal stairs from the second level of the warehouse, Matthew following behind. Both of them stopped and staring at the giant orb. "A-Arthur-san?" he pointed to the ball floating high above their heads. It bobbed in the air, like a boat that was floating in calm water.

"I-I don't know." Arthur said, still in shock.

"Eh? What do you mean you don't know?" Matthew asked, looking at the confounded angel. "We were walking in darkness one minute and the next we see a giant ball illuminating the warehouse. Didn't you make it? Unless perhaps Fr-"

"Bushy brows?" A voice called from behind some rust-colored metal barrels. It sounded weak, but relieved.

Everyone turned; their eyes seeing nothing but metal barrels and wooden crates until Matthew pointed to the area behind. Hiding behind the barrels was a shaking mummy, two winged boys who were trembling all over, and an earth spirit whose arms were crossed and would look pretty menacing with his glare if not for the cut above his brow that leaked red. In Francis' lap was Gilbert who was passed out.

Alfred swallowed in fear for a moment, noticing Yao's cut. That red liquid slowly trickling down the boy's face. But then he realized, surprised, that he had no desire to attack. He was thankful for that.

"Yao-san!" Kiku cried, being the first to react. He ran over to the earth spirit and looked him over.

"Ah, Kiku! About time, aru. I didn't think we could hold them back much longer." Yao said, his voice tired and strained.

"Francis, what happened?" Arthur asked, following behind Kiku and kneeling down. The mummy looked haggard; like he had been fighting, some bandages ripped in places and his hair actually looked messy. A fairly startling appearance for someone like Francis, whom always tried to look his best.

Francis smirked mischeviously, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Ah, mon lapin~ Were you worried?"

Arthur gagged, "Bloody hell, no. I want to know why there's a demon passed out on your lap." he retorted.

"Oh, care about Gilbert more than me, hmm? I see how it is." Francis replied with mock hurt. Despite the exhausted appearance, it seemed that humor was at least intact.

"V-Ve… It was scary!" Feliciano said, still trembling as he clutched Lovino closer. Lovino, for once, didn't object and hugged his brother back with equal strength.

"After the ghouls ambushed us, they brought us in the middle of the warehouse, aru." Yao explained. Kiku nodded, listening carefully as Matthew began going around, healing everyone as best he could.

"Oui, they gathered us here. I saw the entrance close but aside from these four, no one else was moved here. I assumed they had moved you all somewhere else." Francis added.

"We managed to run out of the warehouse before the door closed. We've been outside trying to figure out a way in." Arthur said quickly, wanting them to continue. Alfred frowned, he wanted to say that.

"Chigi! The stupid ghouls gave us induced nightmares or something! Everything was all funny and things were there that shouldn't have been!" Lovino said, sounding angry but clearly scared. "They were nice things turned bad! People we knew; hurt!" His voice trembled as he spoke, rising higher in pitch as his eyes grew wide. "How do we know you're real!" he asked accusingly jumping up and pointing at Arthur, pushing Feliciano behind him protectively.

"Like this." Arthur said, slapping Lovino in the face. "Feel better, chap?"

Lovino blinked, rubbing his cheek. "… A bit." He said before head-butting Arthur in the stomach. "But don't hit me again!"

"Gah! Ow, stupid git! W-"

"Aiya! They're called hallucinations, okay? The ghouls created hallucinations and when they were tired of that, they resorted to plain and simple torture. Stop your fighting!" Yao said angrily, the ground below Arthur and Lovino rumbling frightfully. Both boys stopped in fear that the ground was going to rise up and crush them on the roof. They didn't push further though, knowingYao could actually do that; if he wanted.

Francis shuddered. "Oui, that is what they did. Gilbert tried to fight back but he ended up getting knocked out and hurt. Mattieu, can you please look at him next. The winged boys over there are fine. They hid behind some barrels and the ghouls had been trying to chase them down ever since." He motioned to Gilbert.

Matthew nodded, floating over to him and placing his hand over Gilberts head. A soft glow formed around and everyone watched curiously as the glow intensified.

Gilbert stirred, head pounding. Last thing he remembered was hitting one of the ghouls then being tackled by three. "Ugh… Not awesome…" He mumbled, slowly opening his eyes and blinking. His vision was fuzzy and all he could see was a blurry blob.

"He got some bad hits to the head and his arm was broken, but I think I got most of it." Matthew said softly, the light glow from his hands centered on Gilbert's arm.

"Got what?" Gilbert asked as his vision continued to swim. There was a weird glow around him, making his vision even worse, but he could make out a white, wispy face. It had light colored hair and kind eyes. Making a memory in his mind stir; rising up but just falling short of recognition. Something to do with an angel? Maybe this guy was an angel or something? Did that mean he was dead?

"Cute though." Gilbert mumbled. The wispy face, though still blurry, was one of kindness and worry. It made him feel oddly safe though.

Arthur flushed "The bloody hell did he just say?"

"Shush Artie! Mattie's doin' magic!"

"Al, it's healing. Not magic."

"It's glowy and cool! It's definitely magic!"

"Al, shush. I need to concentrate. His head is worse than I thought. What happened to him?"

"He decided to fight back against one and got overwhelmed by three. Wasn't pretty watching him flail about and crash into various barrels and crates, aru."

"Oui, it was not graceful. We would have helped him, but we were busy trying to keep them away from ourselves."

To Gilbert the voices were far away; his eyes focused on the floating person on top. His vision was starting to improve and within a few seconds, the voices were a little clearer. "Weird… The angel looks a lot like-"

"Mattie! Are you done yet?" Alfred asked, shifting from foot to foot restlessly.

"Git, it's only been a few minutes! How impatient are you?" Arthur said annoyed, placing a hand on the wadering vampire.

"But I'm booored." Alfred said, whining. How unprofessional, was the thought that floated in everyone's mind.

Gilbert blinked, his vision clear now. Matthew was leaning over him, looking at him worriedly. "Gil? Are you okay?"

Nodding and saying nothing else, Gilbert at up. "Stupid; not awesome at all." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Hopefully no one had heard him.

"Uh, Gilbert…" Matthew started awkwardly. The shadow demon had sat up and since Matthew was leaning over him, the demon was now somewhat… inside, of the ghost.

Awkward. Gilbert jumped up, nearly hitting Francis in the chin, as he was just recently lying in the mummy's lap.

"Alright! Everyone good?" Alfred asked, glad Gilbert was finally up. "'Cause we should probably hurry and help Ludwig and Ivan." He said, leaning against a barrel and pointing to the walkie-talkie in his hand. He was feeling restless and if he were to admit, a bit worried for the other two outside. Being inside this place also made him a bit restless; though the light from the giant orb did make things a bit better.

A crackle and pop came from the speaker before Ludwig's voice was heard. "Verdammit! Hurry it up! Ivan just got hit badly and I can barely keep them off him!" he called, sounding winded. "Did you find them? Mein bruder and Feliciano?"

Alfred pressed the button to speak, "Yeah we-"

"Chigi! No care for the others in here?!" Lovino said, interrupting Alfred, who released the button and frowned.

"Oh, that was Lovino ri- gah!" Sounds were heard, thumps and blasts before Ludwig's voice was back. "Just get out here Alfred, we need backu-" Static and crackling replaced Ludwig's voice, but not before a loud blast was heard. It resounded off the metal walls of the warehouse before fading away.

Gilbert was at attention immediately, breaking the silence. "Hold on West! I'm coming!" he stumbled to his feet before running past the others, heading towards the entrance and thankful for the light produced by the weird orb.

The others watched him, stunned at his speedy exit. "Well looks like you did a good job with your magic, Mattie!" Alfred piped in, about to pat Mattie on the back when he remembered. "Uh, nice work!"

Matthew rolled his eyes, not even bothering to correct his brother.

"Well you heard Ludwig, let's go! Are you guys feeling okay?" Alfred said, looking at the others for a brief second.

Francis and Yao nodded, having been looked at by Matthew a moment ago. Feliciano and Lovino were still shaking but Feliciano looked a bit more confident after hearing Ludwig's voice.

"Okay! Let's go!" Alfred declared, pointing towards the entrance and running after Gilbert. Yao and Arthur shook their heads in disapproval. Arthur muttered something about running in headfirst always ends badly as Francis ushered Feliciano and Lovino out in the back of the procession.

Finally regrouped, they had an assignment to finish.

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><p><strong>AN: Shaaame! *insert shameplz icon* I haven't updated in weeks! Forgive me lovely readers! (Q~Q) I won't beat around the bush and just admit that I just haven't been in the writing spirit lately. However, I'm forcing myself to edit and write anyways; at least when I have spare time. There's been a lot to do, and I only have bad news to bring. I'll be away next week for about ten days *So during Spring Break*, so I won't update for another couple of weeks. I'm sorry! Please take this long chapter as compensation, though I know it doesn't make up for half of things!<strong>

**Well, we have them regrouped; next will be mindless action I think. Then development and all of that stuff~ I need to stop being in this writing rut; it's affecting my stories I think. **

**Anyways! Please forgive my absence; or at least don't hate me too much? (^w^ ") **

**Thanks to the reviews, new readers, new favorites and old readers alike! You're all great; even if I must have lost a few of you in the dead period. I will rise again! Like a Polish Phoenix! *grawr~***

**Reviews are welcome; flames are used to power the plane! I hope you all have a wonderful spring break!**

***Gives you all apology treats; your choices are cookies, cakes, cupcakes and/or pancakes!* Here, take a Hetalia too! *Gives you favorite Hetalia character to share the treat with.***

**~SERF**

**(SoulEatherRomanceFan)**


	41. Arthur Arc: Chapter 41: Fight

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Upon emerging from the warehouse, the newly reunited group was greeted by a giant swarm of ghouls.<p>

Surrounded on all sides, in what seemed like a giant, pale-blue circle, Ludwig stood, towering over Ivan whom was kneeling, his face contorted in a grimace. The tall necromancer was holding his arm as Ludwig raised his hands, a bright red flame shooting from his palms. Even from where Alfred was, he could tell it was weak.

As they drew closer, you could see perspiration on Ludwig's face from working his body hard as Ivan tried to stand, falling back to his knees to dodge a ghouls swipe. Ludwig kept it back with another flame burst, but two were closing in on him from behind.

"West! Duck!" Gilbert cried, having just reached his brother. Kicking from the ground, he jumped over two ghouls, landing gracefully before sliding under a third. He stood quickly, nearly stumbling on top of a fourth ghoul before reaching Ludwig.

"East!" Ludwig said, eyes wide at his brother's sudden appearance. "How-"

Gilbert was not paying attention to Ludwig however; his hand open and arm outstretched as the two ghouls drew closer. He had a serious look in his eyes, focusing on the ghouls as he moved his arm and turned his open palm towards the floating monsters. Alfred watched with shock as a dark tendril seemed to flow out of the demons hand; shooting forwards and knocking one ghoul away before curling into a ball and firing like a bullet from Gilbert's hand. It hit the other ghoul, blasting it away before another took its place.

"Woah." Alfred said, staring in awe. He had stopped a few feet from the giant pack of monsters; momentarily distracted when Arthur's call broke his focus.

"Git! Stop gawking and focus!" Arthur cried, flying upwards to dodge a ghoul. It was a sheer miss and he had to duck down immediately to avoid another. "Alfred, I hope you have a plan to get rid of all of these ghouls!" Arthur cried, floating ten feet above Alfred's head.

Alfred threw a wayward punch at a ghoul that came too close. "Oh sure! I got a plan Artie!" He replied, ducking down. He hoped it wasn't too obvious a lie.

Looking around, Alfred scanned the area; taking note of the situation at hand. Everyone stood on the docks outside of the warehouse, the wooden platforms bobbing up and down from the action taking place on top. The ghouls had broken their circle when Gilbert took them by surprise. Now they surrounded the newcomers, forming a strange sort of oval, with Gilbert, Ludwig, Ivan and Matthew in the middle and everyone else scattered on the edges.

Matthew was busily trying to heal Ivan's arm; Alfred hearing Arthur call something about Ivan being unable to neither summon nor cast with one arm incapacitated. Gilbert and Ludwig were fighting back to back; Ludwig's flame seeming to be a little stronger with his brother nearby. Was he trying to not look weak in front of his sibling?

Feliciano was in the air with Lovino and Arthur, although Lovino seemed to have hidden on the roof, flying away when a ghoul caught sight of him. Alfred watched the dark-winged boy jerkily maneuver around the oncoming ghouls, trying to get away from the ones chasing him. Feliciano was also doing the same, though he had somehow procured a little white piece of cloth that he tied to the pole he brought along. Clearly he was giving up and surrendering; using a make-shift white flag, but the monsters chasing him were either not understanding the message or uncaring towards this show of defeat.

Arthur was doing a bit more though, not running; or flying, away but instead dodging skillfully, luring the ghouls and causing them to run into each other. Clearly these flying poltergeists weren't very smart. What was odd to Alfred was that never once did Arthur seem to use his weird light abilities.

_Surely they could do a lot of damage... Right? _Alfred thought, watching Arthur do a graceful dive, his white feathers fluttering in the sharp breeze. _Arthur sure looks pretty when flyin-_

_Woah. Stop now. No way did I-_

Without a moment to spare, Alfred suddenly felt the ground under his feet shake, catching him off guard and causing him to fall backwards on to his butt. He winced as he made contact before he felt the air around him displace as something flew, very quickly, overhead. He only had a moment to turn his head, catching the faint glimpse of pale blue skin before he looked up to see Yao, whom was standing a few meters to his left. Was he the cause of the rumbling earth below him?

"Aiya! Pay attention, stupid American! You nearly lost your head!" Yao said. He was holding a strange, pan-shaped weapon in his hand, made entirely out of hard stone. He was nimbly jumping back and forth as though he were dancing, dodging and hitting the ghouls with his stone tools. Alfred had seen that shape from one of the Chinese restaurants he went to with one of his friends... What was it? Spock? No... Pop? Pok? Wok!

The earth spirit was carrying a stone shaped like a Wok! But, why was there a weird spoon shaped stone in his other hand? It looked like an oversized soup ladle...

"Pay attention I said!" Yao called, his voice suddenly sounding closer. He was right behind Alfred now, hitting two ghouls across the head, who had planned to sneak behind the team leader and ambush him. He turned his head, glaring at Alfred. "What is your plan now? We're separated and outnumbered." He hissed, sounding annoyed. "If Kiku get's hurt from your stupid plan, Alfred. I'll-"

"Calm down dude, I'm working on it here!" Alfred cried, looking around at the others. He saw that Kiku was on the other side of the large circle of monsters. He was standing calm as ghouls seemed to rush forwards. In his hand, he held a sword that looked similar to a Japanese katana. The base of the sword seemed to be made out of a dull metal while the blade crackled with energy, giving off a faint glow. There was no metallic properties of the blade however; perhaps made purely out of energy? It didn't seem solid in Alfred's eyes, yet as it made contact with a ghoul, it sliced with ease.

_Where'd he get that from?_ Alfred wondered, watching Kiku slash downwards. He was about to call out to Kiku about an incoming ghoul when the weather spirit pointed the sword at the monster, a lightning bolt shooting directly from the tip of the sword and hitting the ghoul in the chest, knocking it backwards.

_Like a conducting rod?_ Alfred thought. The metal must help focus the electricity that Kiku was generating.

"Alfred! Focus dammit!" Arthur called, barrel rolling in mid-air as two ghouls closed in on him. Yao had disappeared, also catching sight of Kiku and going over to help him.

"A-Ah! Right!" Alfred replied, his hand closing into a fist and punching a ghoul on instinct as it drew closer.

_Think of a plan... Think of a plan..._ Alfred thought, trying to save the situation. Everyone was spread out, so coming together for a big attack wouldn't work. They couldn't knock the ghouls down either; Kiku and Ludwig already made that clear. There had to be another way; a weakness they could exploit? What was it… Fire? No. Water? Of course not…

_Light!_

Alfred looked up, the evening sun covered by thick clouds. The dock lights were not on yet; still too bright outside. Desperately, he turned to the warehouse, but no light filtered out. The giant light orb that Arthur made was gone.

Cursing, Alfred pushed his brain into overdrive, kicking a ghoul as it approached. Light. Fake light. Who? Someone had that ability right? Feliciano? No... Francis!

"Arthur! Where's Francis? He has light powers, right!?" Alfred called to the flying angel.

"Yeah. The bloody frog- ack!" Arthur flew to the side, only to be hit by a ghoul and pushed to the ground. Alfred acted immediately, punching the ghoul and throwing it off. The ghoul bared its teeth before flying away to find an easier target.

"Ugh, thank you." Arthur said, nodding his head curtly. "Francis I saw over there-" he said, pointing to the far end of the docks. "but-"

"Thanks!" Alfred called, not waiting for Arthur to say more. The more time they wasted, the better chance of the team getting hurt. He darted off towards the far end,

"Alfred!" Arthur cursed as the vampire sped away.

"Don't worry; I got a plan!" Alfred called back. Arthur shook his head.

"Bloody idiot, Francis can't help in the state he's in. I tried to tell him but no, he has to rush into things head first." Arthur muttered, flapping his wings and kicking off from the ground to avoid getting sliced in half by a ghoul. "We're as good as dead." He muttered, flying off to help Feliciano.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Sorry; short chapter is short and filler. I want to update before I leave..<strong>

**Not much to say about this one; it's a bit lame. ( ._. ) Next chapter will have a short talk with Francis, eh~ **

**Then we will wrap up this assignment and a few chapters after; this short *Nothing but assignment fails and stuff* arc will be finished! Then we move on to an Arc I'm kinda excited to write. Ufufu~ **

**Anyways~ Time to disappear off the map! ~o3o~ *I'm not on there in the first place though; this should be easy to do. w ***

**Thanks to new favorites and followers! Also to you reviewers; you know who you are. You guys are the reason I keep writing. Knowing people enjoy this, even though my updates are sporadic and inconsistent *And short* makes me cry rainbows. (T7T ) Then to know people actually consider drawing fanart for me makes me want to find more ways to repay you than simple chapter updates. (;~; )**

**So, reviews are welcome, flames are used to… Warm the hostel I'll be staying at on my trip to Japan. I'm quite excited but also very nervous. If only I know other people who were going on this school trip. **

**See you all later, have a great Spring Break!**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	42. Arthur Arc: Chapter 42: Amplifying Ideas

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Alfred had left Arthur the moment Arthur pointed out Francis' location. He failed to hear Arthur's call and instead searched for the bandaged boy, at last finding him leaning against a concrete building. He was sitting on the ground, holding his leg and panicking when he saw Alfred. He raised his arm, ready to fight, but lowered it as soon as he realized just who it was in front of him.<p>

"Mon dieu! Alfred. You gave me a shock..." Francis said, sighing in relief. He sounded tired already, his bandages messy and hair astray. Alfred suspected the others must be in similar states of disarray. What was odd was that Francis looked like this, yet Alfred hadn't seen him in the battle. So how could he have gotten in such a state?

"Francis! You got light powers right?" Alfred asked, getting right to the point. No time to beat around the bush. Francis nodded in response.

"Oui, but I cannot make a strong enough beam to destroy all of these ghouls." Francis replied, understanding what Alfred was suggesting. "What's more-" he looked at his ankle; which despite the tight bandages, seemed to be swollen. "I cannot move. When we ran here, a ghoul took me by surprise. I was pushing Feliciano and Lovino from the back. They were scared and I was too focused on them to pay attention to things around me.." Francis said, sounding ashamed.

Alfred gave the wrapped boy an encouraging pat on the shoulder, "It's okay. You got those two to fight at least! At least they didn't run away." He joked, trying to lift the guy's spirits.

Francis nodded, "C'est vrai. Although, they probably would have, had I not pushed them into battle."

"Really?" Alfred mumbled, Francis raised an eyebrow and a knowing silence occurred. Yeah, they probably would have.

"Hold on." Something clicked in Alfred's brain as Francis stared at him. "You can't actually help us with the ghouls then?" A shake of the head told him the answer. "Then were back to square-"

"Aiya! Kiku! Look out!"

"West! On your left!"

"Veee! Lovi help!"

"Shut up Feli! You're giving away my hiding place!"

"-one." Alfred groaned, slumping back against the wall as fresh disappointment and panic eased in. "I'm so bad at this job."

Francis chuckled, "Mon ami, you're too harsh on yourself. You're just new at this." He said, trying to reassure the boy. It would do no good to mope about it now. "-but there is no time for reassurances. You need a new plan Alfred."

Alfred groaned, "I know. But you can't use your ability! I don't know who else can-"

"Well... Have you asked Angleterre?" Francis asked, raising a brow.

"I don't know of anyone called angle-tar." Alfred droned, frowning. That was unhelpful.

"Non! Arthur! 'Ave you asked Arthur?" Francis sighed, grumbling something in French. His French accent was slipping as his patience wore thin.

"Artie? He said his magical angel power won't do anything." Alfred said, pouting.

"Well I assume he was the one making that large ball of light in the warehouse, non?" Francis asked, rolling his eyes at the clueless American.

"Yeah, but I don't know how that happened. It was like, one minute he-"

"Mon dieu, Alfred, just get him to do something. Did the ghouls like the light or not?!" Francis said exasperatedly, looking at Alfred annoyed. Really, Arthur was their best chance from the start. For Alfred not to put it together. In fact, for Arthur not to mention it in the first place. How tiresome.

"Nah dude, they flew away from it." Alfred said in a matter-of-factly tone before his eyes widened. Francis smiled in triumph; hand waving for Alfred to go on.

"Uh, but Artie couldn't make a big enough thingy like before, right?" Alfred asked, knowing it to be true. He figured the giant orb wasn't something that was a daily occurrence.

Francis shook his head in confirmation to Alfred's suspicions. "Well, no. It was definitely not something that Eyebrows does often. Actually, I had heard that his powers were getting weaker. He hasn't displayed his abilities for a good while."

"Well, then how did he do it this time?" Alfred groaned, feeling this conversation hit another roadblock. His team was fighting hard and he was discussing abilities with a mummified boy; all they needed now was some tea and they could sit like gossiping old ladies. "Also... Why doesn't he show his power more?" He added as an afterthought.

"Perhaps you should ask him. I do not know." Francis replied, shrugging his shoulders. "As for that orb; maybe you'll figure it out later Alfred. Start by getting Arthur to agree to help, don't get ahead of yourself. Knowing him, he's going to be reluctant."

Alfred nodded, punching a nearby ghoul that was getting too close as he mulled the idea around. Not like he had any other plans anyways. He had to take charge! "Yeah, okay. I'll try to get Mattie over here to-"

"No need Al, just go." A familiar, soft voice spoke from right behind Alfred.

"Waugh! Mattie! Don't sn-"

"I've been here this whole time!" Matthew said desperately. "I followed you here; ever since you left Arthur!"

"Er..."

"Yao said because you've been spacing out; I should keep watch on you. You're most prone to injury anyways." Matthew deadpanned, looking seriously unpleased.

"Hey. Thanks for the confidence, bro." Alfred said, pouting.

"No problem." Matthew replied, waving Alfred off to do his job.

Alfred gave the two classmates a nod before running back to the large docks. It seemed everyone was being pushed to their limits as ghouls continued to fly overhead, like a never ending cycle of ghouls. As soon as you knocked one down, another took its place almost instantly.

"Arthur, gotta find Arthur." Alfred muttered, just barely dodging two ghouls. The creatures seemed to be getting wise to his crude tactics, readying themselves to attack as soon as he punched another down. Seeing this, he wondered about the other ghouls. Were they figuring out more efficient ways to attack his team?

Alfred scanned the area faster now, jogging to cover more ground. He was looking for a guy with big white wings and- No that was Feliciano… And a halo. Not hard to spot!

It took some time though. Time he didn't have right now, but Alfred finally found Arthur leaning against a warehouse, short of breath and looking exhausted. He had stopped for a moment to catch his breath and was about to jump back in the battle when he heard a familiar voice.

"Artie!" Alfred called, running over to Arthur. The angel looked up, frowning at the use of the nickname. He still wasn't happy with it.

"Git, what did I say about using-"

"Dude, I need you to make that big, glowing, ball thing again!" Alfred said, getting to the point.

Arthur spluttered nonsense, taken aback by the vampire's bold words. "What! What are you talking about? I can't do that again! I don't even know what I did the first time."

"Awh… But Arthurrr!" Alfred moaned. Arthur was his last chance! He didn't know what else to do. "Francey-pants said your light magic-"

"Holy magic, idiot!"

"-Holy magic can make things better!" Alfred whined. His hands were tied; he didn't know what else to do.

"Well, he's stupid for saying that." Arthur mumbled, crossing his arms and looking down at the wooden planks below their feet. For a moment, all the two boys could hear were the sounds of water lapping at the dock below them, a light breeze travelling across the water. A silence between them as though neither knew what to say. Then there were shouts and sounds of fighting that came from behind them and Alfred gave Arthur a desperate, pleading look.

Arthur looked hesitant but still stood, his arms crossed and looking at anything but Alfred's kicked-puppy expression. "Git, do you understand what would happen if I used my ability here?"

"You'd totally kill all those bad guys and be a hero?" Alfred chanced.

Arthur's eye twitched, "No idiot! Will you think for a moment? My abilities are similar to those of cleansing magic. To use it in school could cause multiple injuries; deaths even!"

Alfred thought about this for a moment, pulling up a blank. "But… But we're not at school."

Arthur literally face palmed, which made a small smile appear on Alfred's face but it was wiped away when the angels eyes met his; dead serious and angry. "Listen, not every monster is the- how would you put it? Purest. You for example Alfred, your body has been… Tainted by the vampire, yes? So, if I use my ability anywhere near you. I just don't know what would happen. Sometimes it's a powerful raction, sometimes it's just discomfort." He trailed off here, gritting his teeth. "It's not just you though. The others could be affected too. Ludwig and Gilbert for certain. Feliciano and Lovino maybe, even Ivan might."

Alfred thought about this for a moment, "But…"

"I don't want to be responsible for more tragedy…" Arthur continued, seeming to not have heard Alfred. "It's not worth it…"

"Artie" Alfred said, interrupting the angel in his depressing mope-fest. Geez was the guy a downer! "If that's true then why didn't that orb hurt the others in the warehouse?"

Arthur's large eyebrows creased in thought as he pondered this. "I-I don't know…" he replied, shoulders sagging.

"Me neither dude, but you must have done something different." Alfred said cheerfully. "You just have to do it again!"

"It's not that simple!" Arthur said, wishing for just a moment that he had the vampire's optimism. "I don't know what I did differently. If anything, I just acted on impulse… The ghoul attacked, you grabbed me and-"

If this was a cartoon, Alfred could swear Arthur would have one of those little light bulbs flash atop his head.

"You grabbed me." Was all Arthur said, staring at Alfred.

"Uh yeah, sorry about that. It was my own impulse, I mean I was gonna try dragging you out of the way, but-"

"Ugh, Alfred, just stop talking for a moment." Arthur said exasperatedly, shaking his head. "You grabbed me and I used my ability… The light… It wasn't my imagination either."

"You mean that weird blue light? Isn't that, you know, normal light magic?" Alfred asked, confused.

"No, not at all. My magic is white, remember?" Arthur said, stating to pace around the small area, his feet making loud sounds as they made contact with the ground. It was rhythmic, one step, two steps, Alfred was counting them all just for something to do at this point. What could the angel have to think about so deeply? Was he uncomfortable with people touching him or something?

"Alfred, exactly what is your ability?" Arthur asked, stopping his rhythmic pacing and looking at the American.

"Well, that-" Alfred said, laughing awkwardly. "-Is a reeeealy good question." He didn't really know, to be honest.

Arthur groaned in frustration, "Okay, then when has it manifested? Can you tell me that?"

"Easy! When that bully minotaur guy attacked me at gym. Then some point during that Food Run.-"

Arthur held up his hand, "Alfred, I think… I think your ability is an abnormal one."

"Well thanks. You're is too." Alfred replied sarcastically.

"No, I mean as far as abilities go! You've noticed a lot of our abilities are for fighting. They're somewhat more offensive. Yours seems to be more of the defensive; less suited for attacking." Arthur said, stopping where he stood. A calculative look was on his face as he shook his head.

Alfred frowned. "Yeaaaah?"

"Look, you've just told me your ability manifested when you were attacked but Rock; it took the shape of something to defend you. Then it manifested in the food run, you were running? Maybe trying to escape?"

"Yeah, I had to get Antonio outta there; needed to go fast." Alfred said shrugging and not making a connection of any sort.

"Aha! Again it aided you or in other words amplified your speed!" Arthur said, pointing at Alfred.

Alfred still wasn't really getting it. It showed clearly on his face.

The angel sighed, wondering if monkeys have stronger brain power than this boy. "I'm saying your ability, or at least, as far as we've seen, amplifies things. It seems to have a way of protecting you too; if it created a strange shield at least."

Alfred opened his mouth to say something but Arthur continued. "But it's only hypothesis! In any case, when you touched me, I swear I felt some extra power; or at least, I felt something. So whatever it was, I think you are the cause of that light orb."

"Oh my god, I'm like a moving battery pa-"

Arthur cut him off, knowing Alfred would probably say something stupid and unnecessary. "Look, I don't know what you did then, or how you managed to survive that ordeal; let alone the others." After all, he was closest to the orb at the time. "But you have to do it again."

Alfred eyed the angel in front of him. Arthur was giving him such a look, it was a mixture of curiosity and fear actually, but disguised in a fierce frown. Too bad the angel's eyes were like an open book to him, but then again, he had never been able to read the atmosphere, so being able to read Arthur's eyes was a little funny to him. "Dude, your fear is showing."

Arthur's face turned a light shade of red. "Look, I just don't want to kill anyone! If my hypothesis is wrong, I don't know what-"

"Chill man, let's do this! Be the hero!" Alfred fist-pumped. "But, you know… Mattie doesn't have an attacking power thing."

"Can't explain that Alfred. Some people get it and some people don't. Maybe it's because you're twins or something." Arthur replied before turning to face the docks. "Alright, let's go. We need to get in the middle of that circle of ghouls. If we fight from the center, we're sure to get them all."

"Then follow me! I'll protect ya!" Alfred winked, giving Arthur the thumbs-up and laughing.

"Oh shush. Get going. Our friends can't fight forever." Arthur muttered.

Alfred just chuckled, running around the warehouse and into the frenzy of ghouls. He was excited! They could do this; they still had a shot!

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Phew! Sorry guys! My gosh I'm late in updates. Transitioning back home and school right after a trip doesn't help the creativity flow. I'll update more now; just had to get things in order. Last term of the school year always leaves me in a scramble, so please forgive me for lack of updates from now until June. I'm at least typing it out on my iPod when I get the chance. Tiny keyboard = Big spelling mistakes. My writing quality! It's suffering! Blame the educational system! 8U *Rawr*<strong>

**After this, the battle will be over. But who will win? (u ) And what will become of Alfred and Arthur. **

**And golly, I feel like I'm dragging this story too long. Does it bother you? It'll take one more chapter to finish up this assignment, and one or two as a kind of cool-down period before the next arc with an all new conflict. I'm thinking though, I can have this all done in the next two-three weeks *With my lame one-chapter-per-week update schedule.* Mondays it is! *Or was it Sundays?***

**Thanks to you reviewers , readers, favoriters and alert subscribers who are still sticking with the story. This is turning into a monster of a story, isn't it? I originally planned for the story to be about this long and by now be finished, but nearly 100k words and it's barely started. **

**Reviews are welcome! Flames are used for creative purposes~ (w ) Constructive criticism is welcomed though. (ouo ~ )**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	43. Arthur Arc: Chapter 43: Trust Me

I don't own Hetalia! Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"Alfred, slow down! Gah!" Arthur called from above, the ghouls never ceasing in their attacks.<p>

The pale monsters just kept flying at him and Arthur was getting tired. His wings were moving slower now, having spent the past while keeping him above ground to fight the flying ghouls; he hadn't much time for rest.

"Sorry Artie!" Alfred called from below, making his way through the ghouls. A punch here and a kick there and the ghouls were down, only for another to take its place. While he was doing a little better than Arthur, he couldn't help but feel a little bad when his fist made contact with soft ghoul-flesh. Some of them looked rather human… "We're almost there!" _–I think._ Alfred couldn't actually tell.

Five minutes of nothing but fighting and Alfred looked up to Arthur. "Yo Artie! What'cha see? Are we in the middle yet?" Alfred called, unable to tell.

"I see Gilbert standing over a hurt Ludwig, protecting him. Ivan is doing his dark magic and radiating a scary aura. Feliciano and Lovino are flying around in a panic, though, still somehow able to hurt the ghouls at the same time… Alfred, I don't know if I-"

"Artie, trust me, dude! We can do this!" Alfred said, looking up from his scuffle, he could hear the hesitation in Arthur's voice. "C'mon down so I can grab ya!"

Arthur frowned at the comment, "Grab me? Can't you just-"

"Okay, okay, fly down and land in my arms!" Alfred said, holding his arms out. "Then you won't have to step on these ghoul bodies!" Well it was true; there was a small ring of knocked out ghouls surrounding Alfred.

Arthur's face heated up. "I-Idiot! I can manage!" and with that, he gently floated down, landing right next to Alfred. "Just take my hand or something, we don't need-"

"But before I grabbed your shoulders dude! We need more contact than just the hand. Imagine if that's what shoulder can do, then what about-" Alfred said; trying to get this right. He had assumed that the more contact they had; the better things would work. At least… He hoped.

"Well I- Argh! Idiot let go, let go!"

Alfred had gone behind Arthur now, wrapping his arms around Arthur's neck, surprising the angel. Arthur's wings fluttered with the strange weight pressed against them but Alfred held on tight.

"See dude?" Alfred said "More contact and your hands are still free! Maybe we can make like, a super nova, huh?" He said with childish glee. He was kind of excited now.

Arthur didn't need a mirror to know his cheeks were red with a blush. "St-stupid! Just do whatever you did before and let me focus." He said, holding his hands out like before.

Alfred chuckled, his laugh turning awkward. "Uh yeah, about that. I don't know what I did, but I hope that whatever I'm doing now will have the same effect."

Arthur immediately dropped his hands, his concentration breaking. "Excuse me?!"

Alfred thought it was funny how much taller he was than the angel, as said angel tilted his head back in attempt to look at Alfred. His glaring emerald eyes; when looked at upside down, actually looked rather humorous. Especially with those bushy eyebrows there. "What do you mean by that!"

Alfred shook his head, reaching forwards and leaning on the smaller boy, grabbing his arms and holding them up. "Dude, don't lose concentration! Just go!" he said. His mind was completely focused on this; he was the hero! He could do this! _Heh; Artie has soft skin for such a rough angel. Wait, what?_

"L-Let go! I can do this myself!" Arthur said, struggling when he felt the large hands close over his arms. They were surprisingly gentle. _Alfred's hands are huge… How can he be so careful like that? That's… Surprising. _

Both boys quickly pushed those thought's from their minds as Alfred made a move to let go of Arthur's arms, but the angel bumped him with his shoulder before he could release his hold. "Actually, you're right. More contact, so better chance, right?" Arthur said; sounding a bit unsure. It was clear he was putting his trust in Alfred right now.

Alfred smiled before Arthur tossed his head back, nearly smacking Alfred in his jaw. Instead it smacked his collarbone causing Alfred to cough in surprise. "But don't get cheeky! It's because I don't want a bigger chance at failure!"

Laughing, Alfred nodded, though it was hard to since Arthur's head was right there. The angel's hair was tickling his nose, but smelled oddly of strawberries… _That's so girly. Hehe._

"Okay, here it goes…" Arthur said nervously. "You'd better be trying Alfred!" He warned before shutting his eyes and focusing his ability, praying that it worked.

Alfred had no more time to wonder about the shower products Arthur used, which wasn't creepy, as he also shut his eyes, focusing on… He didn't know what actually, but hoping that something happened like before, trying to unlock his ability.

Clearly something was happening as light filtered past Alfred's eyelids. He opened his eyes to see a ball of light growing, but it was different from before. It was bright and growing larger, but it lacked the blue hue it had that time. To top that off, Alfred began to feel weak, a painful feeling seeming to grow near his neck where he had been bitten by that vampire.

"Alfred, it's not working!" Arthur said. He could feel the difference, before when he used his ability, the feeling produced by the light was warm, comforting almost. This one seemed harsh and concentrated, it seemed erratic too; like it could explode any moment and harm his friends. He knew it was because of his increasing panic, but he prepared himself to stop the flow of holy energy.

Alfred grit his teeth, trying to bear the sudden ache that was flowing over him. "Keep going! Don't stop!" he cried, sensing Arthur's hesitation.

"What! Are you crazy?! I'll-"

"Just do it! I- As your leader, I order you Arthur, keep going!" Alfred said harshly; wincing at his tone but not backing down. His grip tightened on Arthur as though he expected Arthur to run.

Arthur winced at the harsh tone Alfred used but continued to focus his ability, feeling the orb grow larger.

Battling the increasing pain, Alfred shut his eyes again. Why wasn't it working? Surely this is close to what they did in the warehouse, right?

_Think… Think!_ Alfred's mind shouted. _There must be something we're missing… Something else that happened_…

When he first did it, he had rushed forwards without thinking. His mind was blank then, going in headfirst to get Arthur away from the danger. His intention that time was… Was to protect. Arthur said his abilities weren't offensive. Then there might be a chance he was doing something wrong. Maybe if he tried that?

_I want to protect them_… Alfred thought, hearing someone let out a cry. It sounded like Matthew. Was he affected by the light too?

_I want to protect my teammates…_ A loud grunt was heard; it sounded like Ludwig. Far off, he could hear Gilbert cry out as well. Did they get hit, or-?

_Please! I want to protect my friends! _

Alfred heard Arthur gasp and his eyes snapped open. The orb in Arthur's hands was larger now, but it seemed to be expanding faster, like someone was constantly pumping air into it. A moment after Arthur's gasp faded in the chaos, the orb changed color. It was no longer a pure white, but now a pale blue with white swirling around inside; like a storm or a marble pattern.

"It's working." Alfred breathed, trying to stay focused but at the same time he was awed; mouth open as he stared at the giant ball. The orb grew larger until it was the same size as the first one in the warehouse. All the ghouls had stopped fighting now, floating towards and seemingly entranced by the giant ball; like moths to light. Alfred could see his teammates in the wake of pale bodies strewn about the docks, all staring at the orb. The vampire could feel a strange heat coming off from him into Arthur, like a strange; relaxing energy. He sent it to Arthur, who channeled into the orb, like there was a thin line connecting both boys to this strange thing they created.

"Do you trust me Arthur?" Alfred whispered to Arthur. He didn't entirely know what he had planned, but he knew that he needed to do something more now. They had to use this orb somehow, and it would do no good to toss it up in the air and watch it float away like Arthur did in the warehouse.

"Y-Yes." Arthur mumbled, entranced by the orb that they as a team, had made. His brain was trying to comprehend as to why the others; his friends and teammates, were not dead on the ground.

"Cool." Alfred replied, letting go of Arthur's arms and reaching around, taking the orb in his hands. It gave him a strange feeling of calm as he held it. He almost didn't want to let go, but he concentrated and gave his plan a shot. In an instant, he called out. "Everyone shut your eyes!" and throwing caution to the wind, he cut off the strange connection he had, stopping the flow of energy and closed his hands together in what would normally be the motion for clapping.

Feeling his hands make contact, a lot easier than he expected, Alfred shut his eyes. From behind his eyelids he could see the flash it made as the ball popped like a soap bubble, hear the screams and pained cries of the ghouls as the light beams shot from the popped orb and enveloped the area in blinding white.

Forcing his eyes open in a squint, Alfred saw the last of the ghouls fall to the ground, watching a final beam of light hit another ghoul nearby in the chest, the creature falling to the ground with a dull thud.

"Woah, it actually worked." Alfred said, letting out a held breath he didn't know he had.

Arthur watched the whole thing in shock, eyes closing only for a second when Alfred called to everyone. His mouth was agape and he quickly turned around to face Alfred, their noses almost touching. "Alfred, what was that?!"

He felt his face heat up as Alfred realized just how close he was to the angel as the battle adrenaline started to wear off. He held the angels emerald gaze and with a large smile, shrugged. "Haha… I really can't say. I don't know."

Arthur frowned, his hand lifting up, now level with Alfred's face. For a moment the vampire thought that Arthur was going to do one of those sappy scenes in those heroic superhero movies, but instead winced as the hand made contact with his head. Hard.

"You idiot! That was a stupid move! You nearly killed everyone! I can't believe I trusted you when you said- Argh! I swear, I'll never do that again! I thought you know what you were doing but you tell me that you don't! During that; out of all the times you could have told me that? You couldn't have waited for a better time?! You took and incredible risk!" Arthur shouted.

Alfred could feel Arthur's warm breath on his face, a strange contrast to the cold sea wind. It smelled a bit like tea and lemons… Was he drinking some before this whole ordeal?

"Dude… You have lemons with your tea?" Alfred asked, distracted from the angel's rant as he thought about tea with lemons. Not that he would try it. He was a coffee person. Tea was totally gross.

"-and another. What. Tea?! You're asking about how I drink my tea?! How do you even know I had lemon tea today! Are you stalking me! Good lord Alfred, you are a-"

"Actually, you're pretty close to me, so…"

Arthur's face went red as he realized just how close they were and he jumped back, stumbling on a fallen ghoul lying just behind him. Alfred acted on instinct, reaching forwards and grabbing the angel's wrist to prevent him from hurting himself. Arthur's red face seemed to turn a shade darker, from anger or embarrassment though, Alfred couldn't tell.

"H-Hey! Let go!" Arthur cried angrily, trying to pry Alfred's fingers from his arm. Well the angry tone of voice probably meant the angel was angry.

"Alfred-san! Arthur-san! Was that you who did that?" Kiku's voice reached the pair's ears, both boys looking up and seeing the weather spirit approach, the sword Alfred saw before gone. Kiku had a large cut on his arm as well as a few scratches on his body, but aside from the tired look he gave Alfred and Arthur, both were glad to see he was not in worse shape.

"A-Am I interrupting?" Kiku asked, seeing the two together so closely; and with red faces. Although Arthur looked rather angry; not swoon-y. That was an English word, right? Kiku was never that great at vocabulary.

"Wha- No- I'm-"

"I-If you want some time alone, I can come back later." Kiku said, looking away and covering his mouth with his hand to hide his smile of amusement.

"What! No, no. It's fine Kiku, we're not doing anything!" Arthur said annoyed, snatching his arm back the moment Alfred's grip loosened.

"That was a real light show, aru." Yao said, sounding impressed. He stepped over another ghoul as he approached the three. Around the docks, Alfred could see the other teammates gathering together around them.

"Indeed it was, boys." A voice called, causing everyone to look up in surprise.

Walking over to them, coming from behind the far warehouses where the dock parking lot was located, was Principal Roma and Principal Germania.

"Ve~ Hello Grandpa Rome~" Feliciano called, running over to greet the schools head. Lovino flew over as well, following his brother and standing next to them with a frown.

"Grandpa?" Alfred whispered, confused and distracted now. He was going to ask about what the principal was doing here, but got side-tracked by the endearing family title. Well; they did seem kind-of similar.

"They regard him as family I think. Even though they're not blood relatives, they act and interact so similarly that they might as well be. I think Roma even considered adopting them at one point ." Yao whispered back, watching the happy group approach them. "It's really just a title Feliciano gave the principal at some point."

"Really? But don't they have their own family?" Alfred asked. He wasn't sure his own grandfather would like it if he took liberties with family titles.

"Perhaps once they did, Alfred." Yao replied gently as Feliciano's happy laugh caught their attention once more.

Principal Roma looked around the area, letting out a low whistle as he saw the large amount of ghouls everywhere. "Goodness, you boys we're taking so long to get back to the school. Did you all notice it's nearly dark now?"

Everyone's heads craned upwards at the sky, indeed the evening light was gone and the dock lights had flicked on at some point. Though, it didn't feel like there was any lighting difference somehow. They must have been really into the job, too focused on fighting and staying alive to notice the time change.

"I got Germania to drive me out here with reinforcements. I was scared I would find you all half dead!" Principal Roma chuckled. "Or maybe, undead."

No one laughed.

"You all look exhausted though. Jump back in the van and head back to the school. You've been excused from your classes tomorrow and missed work can be picked up anytime." He continued, impressed and nodding his head. Everyone stared at Principal Roma with varying expressions of fatigue, glad to hear the news. No doubt they would all be sore tomorrow.

"But you did well here! Very good work everyone. It seems you have saved us the trouble of having to take care of the problem ourselves. I assume that most of this was done by you Ludwig? Francis maybe? I saw a lot of bright flashes coming here, but don't worry about the humans; they've cleared the area for investigations."

"Actually sir, I believe it was Alfred and Arthur who did the work." Ludwig said gruffly, walking up to the group with Gilbert in tow.

"Nah, it was a group effort. Everyone did really good and worked really hard." Alfred said; smiling as Ludwig gave a short nod of approval.

"I see." Roma said, looking at Alfred thoughtfully. "Well, Alfred will have to give me a report of your assignment later at the school. Though, it looks like I was right in trusting you boys to form the control team. I'm glad you didn't disappoint. I look forwards to seeing future progress!"

"Chigi! No way!"

Everyone turned to look at the angry Italian standing next to his brother, who had a shocked look on his face, clearly not expecting this outburst.

"Ve, what do you mean fratello?"

"No way, absolutely not!" Lovino said angrily, stomping his foot on the wooden docks, hard. Alfred could have sworn he actually felt the dock move under him, but Lovino couldn't be that strong, right?

"I quit!" Lovino continued. Collective looks of shock appeared on the others faces. "I nearly got killed doing this and dammit, I don't want to do it again! Chigi! It was scary enough having to move through the stupid halls with these potato demons lurking around, but to fight ghouls? Get trapped in a warehouse? Be tortured!" He had angry tears in his eyes and he spoke, clearly terrified. "Dammit… I-I thought Feli was going to die! I thought I was going to die and I wouldn't be there for my fratello and-"

"Ve… Don't cry fratello!" Feliciano said, turning to his brother and hugging him. Lovino didn't object for once.

"Aiya, we were all scared Lovino. We were scared for our own selves and for our friends and family." Yao said, though he looked to Kiku worriedly who nodded, but didn't say anything.

"I-I know that, rice-bastard, but I didn't want to do this in the first place! In fact, look around! I don't have a single weird mark like all of you idiotas on my body. I was just in the damn room at the time! I don't want to sit through another moment where I have to worry about myself and my- my friends!" Lovino said, sounding muffled in Feliciano's hug.

"You're thinking of the werewolf attack, aren't you Lovino." Alfred said softly, causing the others to look at Alfred then back to Lovino's shaking form. To be honest, Alfred didn't blame the winged boy. He remembered the look of terror on Lovino's face that night, the feelings of fear and anger that came from Lovino in the clearing. Then again, perhaps everyone shared a bit of that emotion today, but for Lovino, it was just too much? If he was already worrying about his friend Antonio, then to worry about your own self, be subjected to whatever torture the ghouls gave them yet at the same time fear for your brother as well. Alfred had to give the boy some credit and respect for staying on his feet this long.

Lovino mumbled something unintelligible and Feliciano just nodded, looking at Alfred as he did. There was the answer.

"If you don't like it Lovino, it is okay to drop out. No one is forcing you." Principal Roma said, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulders. His eyes held a look of sympathy and somehow Alfred could tell that Principal Roma was indeed sympathizing with Lovino. Seeing at how understanding Roma was being; it didn't surprise Alfred that he donned the title "Grandpa" with these two boys.

Heads nodded and Lovino was released from Feliciano's hug; fiercely rubbing his eyes as he looked around. "No one say a word about this." He muttered, sniffling as the fierce fire was quickly rekindled in his eyes.

"I would like to resign." Lovino mumbled, looking away. "And you, potato bastard one and two, say nothing. I'm not running away, I'm doing what I think is good for me. Got it?"

Ludwig gave a slight nod and Gilbert said nothing as Lovino stretched, still not meeting the others eyes. "Okay. I'm waiting in the car. Feliciano, you come too. I want to talk to you."

Feliciano gave a small wave at the others before following Lovino to the van parked nearby as the others watched.

"This poses a problem though." Principal Roma said. "Now there are only nine members in the control team. The standard rule of control teams is there is supposed to be ten members."

"Sir, I think there are ten here though." Arthur said, looking around for a moment.

"H-Hai. I can feel a presence here too." Kiku said, a few others nodding and looking around.

"Really? But where?" Principal Roma asked.

"Here! We can do a head count." Ludwig said trying to be professional about this. "Eins, zwei, drei-"

Alfred watched as the demon slowly counted the heads here, wondering who the other presence could be?

"Ja, there is ten here." Ludwig said, sounding surprised.

"What!"

"Aiya!"

"Dude, really?"

"Hold on, I will count too." Kiku said quickly. "You counted Feliciano in the van, right, Ludwig-san?" he asked, Ludwig nodding his head in response.

"Okay. Ichi, ni, san-"

Alfred watched as Kiku made careful count too, going even slower than Ludwig before his eyes widened in shock. "He is right!"

"Dude, creepy! Who is it?!"

"I don't know!"

"This isn't awesome! There's a weird guy here! He must be invisible."

"Well at least you have ten. That's good enough, hm?" Principal Roma said; ushering them to the van as the horn honked. Clearly Lovino was getting impatient. "You can check once you get back to the school, okay? I can take care of the ghouls from here."

"Yeah, sure."

"Thank you Roma-sensei."

"Mais oui, we can figure out the mystery when we get back. I would like to have a good sleep now. I will get bags under my eyes if I don't have exactly-"

"Shut up, Francis! No one cares!"

Just a few feet behind the group, Matthew sighed. Should he say anything? Would they even listen? Probably not.

"Damn hosers…" He mumbled before floating over towards the van. Maybe he can slip in and give Alfred a scare at least.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: I'm a day late. OTL<strong>

**Yay; the battle is won! But things are just beginning! Ahaha; clearly I'm going to implement some USUK in the story. Sorry to those who don't like it. It's one of those pairings that I thought would be rather fun and easy to write. I'm new at the romancing; "Love in a Bottle" *Which is also USUK* is one of my only romance stories I've ever tried to make, so I want to get this right. I think I may have lost a few readers for this… But! At least there's other pairings. I won't say them until they start happening! I just hope I don't drag things out too long. I want to try writing a relationship that builds up, so this is the start. (ouo )**

**One thing I really want to work on is separating humor from serious things. I hope the random things in there; silly comments and thoughts, didn't take from the moment. I tried for intense and ten suddenly it was "Let's put a joke in here! Hehe". (=A= )**

**There's so much to finish. Darn last months of school. I have projects I want to work on too and I definitely want to get the next arc finished. I have plans! Mwahaha. *Actually; I'm half winging it. It's like the story is starting to write itself again!* But! There's only a few more chapters to wrap up this arc; which I would consider calling it Arthur's Arc. Or maybe Alfred and Arthur's but that doesn't fit in the chapter titles. (o7o" ) **

**Thanks to you guys for your support and favouriting, following and reviewing this story. *Gives you some steamed buns* You've stuck with this story for so long. Not to mention been my source of encouragement and cheer. Thanks. 3**

**Reviews are welcome! Flames are going to be used to cook more steamed buns! Those things are good; I love using that bamboo cooker. (OuO ) **

**~SERF  
>(SoulEaterRomanceFan)<strong>


	44. Arthur Arc: Chapter 44: Decisions

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>The ride home was uneventful, aside from Matthew entering the car and giving Alfred a scare, which seemed to lighten the mood. After all, nothing makes people laugh quite like hearing a high-pitched scream from "The Hero."<p>

It was near midnight when they finally passed through the gates of the school. Everyone got out of the van, some stumbling. They were all exhausted, bidding each other a good night as they left for a well-deserved rest.

Only a few remained, Alfred being one of them. Gilbert and Ludwig were standing together, discussing something as Ivan stood waving goodbye to Yao whom was walking off with Kiku. The others had headed straight to their dorms.

Alfred himself was feeling exhausted. Never in his life did he expect to find himself in a battle like that. About to head towards the Upper Dorms, he was stopped by a large hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on Alfred. We want to talk to you. You don't mind, da?" Ivan asked, sounding too calm.

Alfred gulped, nodding and spinning around. Did they have to do it now? He was tired… "Erh, what'cha need?"

Ivan stood with Gilbert and Ludwig who formed a semi-circle around him, which just increased his suspicions, and did nothing to calm the nervous feeling inside him. "West and I have come to a decision!" Gilbert said.

"I have too." Ivan said, looking at Gilbert with cold eyes. Gilbert waved his hand, though took a step away from Ivan. "Him too."

"Erh, what is the decision?" Alfred asked.

Ludwig sighed, "I-" He stressed the I, looking at his brother warily. "have decided that you are a fairly competent leader. Your plan, for the most part, went well and somehow you managed to pull off this mission." He thrust his hand out in front of Alfred, who stared at it with confusion before realizing and taking the hand.

They shook, but then Ludwig kept the grip firm, not releasing Alfred's hand yet. "-But. If I deem you to be unable to complete your duties-"

"Kesese, I'll take over!" Gilbert called, interrupting Ludwig with his signature laugh.

Ludwig glared at Gilbert, shaking his head. "No. Alfred's second in command will take over."

"Second in command?" Alfred asked, puzzled. Did he have one? He had never thought about something like that.

"Alfred, you can't expect that only you can fill this role. You need an extra hand; that was clear by your performance today." Ludwig said, looking at Alfred skeptically.

"What? But you just said-"

"I said it somehow managed to go well. It was clear that you were struggling." Ludwig said, cutting off Alfred's protests.

The vampire slowly nodded, as much as it bothered him to. _It is true, _Alfred thought, _I do need another hand in this… _"But, I don't know who-"

"Think about it overnight, da?" Ivan said, finally speaking. "I have no doubts that Principal Roma will summon us tomorrow, and you have a report to give him. I'm sure you will make the right decision." There was a hidden intent behind his words; everyone could hear it.

Alfred could only watch as the three left him, heading towards their dorms.

_Second in command? But who?_ Alfred thought, slowly starting to walk towards the Upper dorm. Clearly the three boys wanted him to choose them, but he wondered… Should he?

The long trek to his room seemed shorter this time as Alfred pondered over the possibilities. Obviously it had to be someone from the team, and someone with good leader ship ability.

That said; he crossed out Feliciano and Matthew immediately. Francis he wasn't sure but Kiku, he shook his head at the thought; pondering over everyone as he entered the large doors of the Upper dorm.

* * *

><p><em>Yao?<em> Alfred wondered, now lying on his bed. When he entered the room, he was surprised to find two beds inside; only vaguely remembering his talk with Principal Roma. It seemed that while they were out, some changes had been made to the room. Now there was double of everything, a bed, table, an extra chair… He had to admit though; he was happy in the room. It comforted him to know that Matthew was just a few feet away again. Of course, not everything was the same. He couldn't push his brother off the bed to wake him anymore.

_Nah, I couldn't choose Yao. Ultimately those three gave me a trick choice. It's gotta be one of those three. If I pick Yao they'll probably get him to resign or something… I don't know._

"Ugh… This is hard." Alfred moaned, rolling in the bed. He sighed into his pillow, tugging the covers over his head, the new smell of just-cleaned sheets filling his nose. "If I don't choose those three, then they'll definitely be mad. But then what if I choose one of them? They'll still be mad, right?" he mumbled, talking to no one in particular.

"Argh!" Alfred rolled over and sat up, rubbing his head furiously. Why was this decision such a hard one? Just pick a name. He fiddled with his white shirt, which he found in one of the drawers of the new dresser.

"Ugh, this won't do." Alfred mumbled, turning and standing up. "Maybe a walk will help?" He grabbed his glasses and sighed, opening the room door and shutting it quietly.

Alfred didn't know where to go, so he just walked, muttering to himself and sighing.

It wasn't until he reached a large stone door at the end of yet another seemingly endless hallway that Alfred finally took in his surroundings. There was a window in the door that looked out towards the sea, or at least, if his sense of direction was correct.

Looking left and right, then behind him, Alfred deduced there wasn't any one around. Was he allowed to go out this door? With nothing else to do and after a minute of hesitation, he decided that a few minutes standing outside wouldn't hurt as he quietly pushed open the door.

It led to a small platform, only a few feet wide with a fairly rusted railing that Alfred really didn't want to test out. The ground beneath him felt solid, being made of hard concrete and the tall surrounding walls of the building shadowed most of the area from the bright moonlight. The cold night air blew against his face and he shivered but didn't go back in.

"Ugh, I should be pretty darn happy though." Alfred mumbled, rubbing his hands together as he stared out at the inky darkness. "Not like- Huh?" He turned around in surprise, haring a sound.

A movement had caught Alfred's eye and he jumped back in surprise as a pair of eyes stared back at him, the rest of the figure covered by the shadows. He felt his arms bump the railing just behind him and give easily. He flailed his arms, pin wheeling them in an attempt to regain his balance, but already he could feel himself fall backwards into the night.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: (o7o" ) I actually had this ready on Tuesday; but I thought I uploaded it last night. I didn't. OTL<strong>

**Very late update. *whispers* Oops! I'm sorry guys; life's been busy. I know it's not much of an excuse, but there's been a lot to do. Personal problems too, but I'll keep writing! I've got the plan for the next arc laid out. I just have to detail it by making it into chapters.**

**Sooo… This arc is coming to a close. I think two chapters? Maybe three. I'll try to be more on time with updates, but in the next couple of weeks, I might be a tad slow. Especially in June *But that's a while from now* when I have the Final exams. ( =7=")**

**Anyways! This chapter is kinda… Myeh. But the next part will be… Probably fail too. :I *pokerface* Still. I'll get it out next week; promise!**

**Thanks for the kind reviews! And faves and follows and everything else! 3 **

**Reviews are welcome, flames are used to fuel the fires in our hearts! ~\(o^o )/~**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	45. Arthur Arc: Chapter 45: Lean on Me

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>Just as his felt his feet leave the ground, Alfred stopped in mid-air, feeling two hands grab his arm and hold him up. He gasped, looking up as his eyes rested on Arthur, clad in that white dress that Alfred saw that night before in the clearing. The bright halo on his head bobbed up and down by some invisible force as he struggled support Alfred's weight. Hundreds of feet below him, the ground waited to greet Alfred if Arthur let go.<p>

All Alfred could say was- "Geez Artie, do you wear that dress to bed or something?"

Arthur's thick eyebrow twitched, clearly pondering over something as the grip on Alfred's arm loosened a little. "How about a thank you, git! By now you would have hit the ground and been flat as a pancake." He grunted, flapping his wings with a hard push and flying up to the platform. With another grunt, he deposited the vampire on the hard ground, landing on his own two feet as Alfred struggled to stand up.

The young teen felt shaky on his legs, having come this close to becoming a flat, vampire pancake. "Haha, uh, thanks…" Alfred said, rubbing the back of his head. "You surprised me there, I didn't expect to see someone else out at night."

"Yeah well, I had things to think about. You on the other hand ought to be sleeping. You have to make a report to Principal Roma later, don't you?" Arthur replied; arms crossed.

"Yeah… I guess, but I can't really sleep either. I have things to think about too." Alfred replied, sighing.

Arthur just nodded, the shock of their near-death experience (At least in Alfred's case) beginning to wear off.

The boys were standing on the solid platform together. Railing gone; they stood a few feet from the edge, not taking any chances and staring out into the pitch-black night. The stars above seemed to be covered by a cloud with the only light coming from the moon high above them. There seemed to be a slightly awkward tension between the two, having not resolved their little talk earlier at the van. Clearly both were trying to bring up the subject, but neither seemed to be brave enough to instigate the discussion.

"So…" Alfred droned, casting a small glance at Arthur.

"Listen, I'm… Not sorry for being so brash Alfred; for throwing the reality at you." Arthur started, not looking at Alfred. He had decided if Alfred wasn't going to say anything, he would. "But, I am sorry that it came out in such a harsh way." He finished; green eyes glowing in the dim moonlight. There was a deep pain hidden in them that Alfred could only guess the meaning of.

"I-"

"I'm not finished though." Arthur said, holding up a hand to stop Alfred. "You have to realize Alfred, that things are different now. Whatever life you lived before is gone. Changing into a… A supernatural being. It's almost the same as dying, but you still live. You could, with effort, live a fairly normal life. It takes skill though; but no matter how much you master it, you'll never be able to go back to what you had. To- To what you were before." Arthur said slowly, as though the slow pace of his words would have enough time to drill deep into Alfred's brain before the next came. "I-"

"Arthur, stop." Alfred said, interrupting the angel. Arthur seemed too tired to be angry and nag Alfred for interrupting someone, though perhaps he was fairly used to it now. "Look, I…"

"I-I think from the first day here, I knew that." Alfred said with a shaky breath. "I knew that something was different at least, but when you and Mattie confirmed it… I guess… I guess I went in denial and I-I couldn't accept that fact. It was… Too much for me."

Alfred continued, tearing his gaze from Arthur's and looking out into the pitch-black night. It was clear this was hard for him to admit, so Arthur stayed silent, allowing Alfred to move at his own pace and not pushing him forwards.

"The days that followed, I guess things just started creeping in, you know? What you said then, at the van. You were right. I wanted to prove something to myself. That I would be okay I guess, I could do things on my own without help. If I could, maybe I assumed would be okay out there." Alfred's voice was hushed. It made him sound small, not the strong teen that Arthur was used to seeing. –Or hearing.

"Of course… Today made me realize that all of this is real. I kinda thought if I didn't take blood, maybe I could live without it, but that caused the team to suffer. Everyone back there… I-I could have gotten them all killed because of my selfishness, Artie!"

Arthur took a step forwards, noticing the sudden change in Alfred's posture, his voice, his expression. But before he could say anything to reassure the lad, Alfred continued.

"I just… It's just that… Dammit, I- I'll never be able to go back Artie. No matter how much I want to, I can't ever go back, can I?" Alfred's voice cracked as it rose in pitch as Arthur rushed forwards, calm appearances be damned, taking Alfred in his arms and hugging the taller boy to him.

"Shh, Alfred…" Arthur mumbled, patting Alfred's back gently like a mother to her children.

There was nothing awkward about their positions though; no resistance or forced caring in the hug. It was plain and simple to Arthur then. As much as Alfred tried to be strong; to be the hero and be someone others could lean on for support, he still needed someone to support him while he worked to support others.

Or else Alfred would fall too.

For a moment, Arthur heard Alfie's voice chime in. Something the little manifestation, or whatever he was, had said to Arthur earlier that day.

_Then convince him to get it. You're his friend, right? Surely you can see how stubborn he is, mister. He does need help._

"He was right…" Arthur muttered as Alfred's form trembled. "Yet, I never noticed until now."

There was a silence again; something that was beginning to be a regular occurrence, the only thing breaking it was the occasional hiccup from Alfred. Soon though, Alfred was pacified, rubbing his eyes as the hug broke.

"I'm sorry Artie… I've been acting like a baby or something. Ever since you met me I guess, which is not very heroic at all." He mumbled, sniffling one more time and looking rather embarrassed at his show of weakness. "Thank you…"

Arthur nodded, grimacing at the wet feeling of his toga. That would need to be washed later. Laundry aside though, he looked at Alfred; rather, looked up at Alfred. The vampire was, after all, still taller. Nevertheless, he had made his decision and only time would tell if it was the right one.

"Listen Alfred, I know you don't know many people here. Just Matthew I guess, but you know… Ugh, I'm not good at doing this." Arthur grumbled, seeming to take interest in a particular tile on the ground. "But, if you ever want to talk to me about things that bother you, or you need some help or something… You can…" He sucked in a breath. "Talk to me. Or, bollocks, how would you say. Lean on me?"

Alfred snickered at Arthur's face; it looked dark, even in the moonlight he could see that the angel's cheeks turned red. Actually, his own cheeks were slightly pink to, but maybe that's the cold? His heart, were is capable of beating, would have felt warmed by Arthur's kind gesture. Instead he just felt a small flutter in his stomach and felt his shoulders feel lighter somehow.

"So… Like friends Artie? Like awesome, best friends?" He asked coyly, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ack! Don't do that, it looks weird! Yes, yes like friends. We're friends." Arthur said, huffing. When he thought about it, he didn't have many friends. Most of the other students he knew were just acquaintances or classmates… Alfred would be a genuine friend.

"Awesome!" Alfred said, grabbing Arthur and spinning around happily, hearing Arthur cry out when his foot hit the remaining piece of the railing rather hard. Both boys winced as they heard a loud clang as the final piece of the railing tumbled over the side.

"Put me down imbecile! We're making too much noise!" Arthur hissed.

Alfred chuckled, placing Arthur down. "Sorry. I got a bit carried away…"

Arthur dusted his toga off, rubbing his foot gingerly. "I'll say. You need to work on restraining your impulses, or else you can be my friend from behind a bullet-proof piece of glass, git."

"Awesome; we're gonna play with guns next? You know, my friends used to go to the shooting range with me. We should-"

"Oh, shush Alfred. Come on now; we should go to bed so you can be at least half-awake for the meeting tomorrow." Arthur mumbled, walking towards the door and opening it. He looked back at where the railing used to be, as did Alfred.

"Uh. We can… Probably get someone to fix that later." Alfred said nervously, hurrying over to Arthur and heading inside. He wasn't too cold, but he didn't want to leave behind more evidence. What if they had forensic scientists or something that could find out just who was there? Now that the serious moments had passed for now, Alfred's mind was in more shallow places, thoughts like "I wonder what will be served for breakfast?" floated around in his head when suddenly he thought of something to ask the angel.

"Hey Artie… Now that were friends, I can ask you things right?" Alfred started, not entirely sure how to bring the subject up. It seemed to him like asking about it would mean touching a subject not meant for anyone to touch; yet he was too curious to let it go just like that.

Arthur nodded slowly, "I suppose. Depends on the question but you can give it a go."

"Well, when we were at the van… You said something about ending up like… Him? What did you mean by that?"

Arthur stopped abruptly, standing in the middle of the hallway. He looked at Alfred angrily, though there was a deep pain in his eyes, similar to the one Alfred saw on the platform.

"Artie?"

"I… I can't tell you." The angel stuttered, his voice cracking. It seemed that the memory, whatever it was, was a very powerful one for Arthur.

Alfred thought for a moment. Should he push it? If he did, Arthur might just get mad at him. Maybe even break the friendship they sort-of-formed-but-not-quite-officially, but he decided that, now or never, he would take the risk. Sometimes his curiosity just got the better of his common sense.

"Arthur, you know… You said I could come to you when I was troubled, right? Well, the same goes for me. Maybe I'm not the only one who needs some support here, ya know? So… I'm here for support too, okay?" Alfred was never good with reading the mood. He just couldn't _tell_, even if the mood bit him, but he could _see_ that whatever Arthur was thinking about clearly weighed the Brit down.

Arthur only nodded, seeming to consider it. He began walking again, saying nothing and looking at the floor. Alfred could only follow behind quietly.

It seemed like ages, the sounds of feet on hard ground the only thing that came to Alfred's ears, but finally, Arthur spoke, steps dragging and moving at a speed that could rival a snail. "His name was Peter Kirkland." He said, just barely above a whisper.

Alfred slowed, nearly stopping before nodding his head as he tried to match Arthur's pace.

"He was… The most… Annoying child you had ever met." Arthur mumbled. Alfred felt the urge to laugh but held his tongue, stifling it with a small cough. Arthur's eyes held a distant look, lost in the memory.

"But he was a young boy who changed my life. He was my first assignment and my first true friend." Arthur muttered, smiling a bit. Alfred wondered what an assignment was, having no idea how things worked from where Arthur came from. The angel seemed to realize this and quickly explained.

"Young angels would get assignments sometimes, like a fieldtrip. It's practically like a rite of passage for a young angel. Everyone is excited for them. They could range from something boring like observing a family in action and sending in a report; to something interesting like guiding souls to the gates." Arthur said quickly. "My assignment was to find Peter and help him get to the gates. Only, there were complications."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. Complications? Seemed like a pretty simple assignment to him.

"Unfinished business, is what we call it. Some souls, or ghosts, won't pass on until they have completed a special goal, something they wanted to do before they passed. It could range from sending a loved one a message, to realizing something hidden about your own self. Most people know exactly what they want to do or to discover, so it's easy to complete it, but some don't really know, or remember. Peter was one of the few who didn't know."

Alfred nodded, "Sounds pretty tough… Did you manage to find it though?"

Arthur frowned, causing Alfred to worry if he asked the wrong thing. "Sort of." Arthur said, sighing. A fresh cloud of sadness seemed to cover Arthur as he continued to elaborate. "Alfred, do you know what happens to a ghost when they wander the Earth too long?" Alfred shook his head.

"Their souls slowly break apart the longer they are on Earth. It's a natural process because without a body to contain the soul's energy and focus the soul, the soul becomes erratic and slowly unstable. When they pass the gates, they're surrounded with holy energy, which acts as a catalyst similar to a human body. But on Earth, there is too much chaotic energy, both negative and positive, for the soul to properly keep itself whole." Arthur said. Alfred was surprised to see a tear form at the corner of the angel's eye.

"I told him to give up on the unfinished business of his… It's something many can do; give up on it and move on. Only, he was just so stubborn. Bloody idiot. He kept going, not wanting to give in. It was like he had to prove something. Then just before he… H-He explained… He told me what he had to get done and…" Arthur voice shook as a few more tears leaked down his face. Now it was Alfred's turn to hug Arthur.

"When a ghost's soul breaks, their entire existence is erased. They are sent back to the spatial plains and become nothing more than energy. Their memory is forgotten on Earth; it's like they never existed. He can never be reborn because there is nothing left to be reborn. I failed my assignment, but that's not important. It's him, Alfred, I failed Peter." Arthur whispered the anguish clear in his voice. Alfred didn't know what to say; only hugging Arthur tighter.

"So you're saying you don't want me to disappear?" Alfred asked, still a little puzzled.

Arthur shook his head, "No it's not that. Until the very last minute Alfred, he thought he would be okay; even as he was disappearing. He told me Alfred. Half way through, his unfinished business changed, and he only told me a moment before he left." Arthur took a shaky breath.

"He wanted to show me that he would be okay as a ghost; he wouldn't disappear. Things would go back to normal, or as close as he could get them and he would be okay. What Peter did was practically suicidal! Yet, had I tried just a little harder, noticed the signs, done some things differently, it wouldn't have happened. I don't want to see you hurt yourself. To fight the inevitable like he did and… I- I just can't see that again. I'm your friend now, but if I lose another person close to me, especially because of my actions, I don't think I could handle it." Arthur whispered, biting back another sob. It was as though flood gates were opened as he let his raw emotions spill out of the dam.

Alfred understood now, nodding. "I won't Artie. You made sure I didn't already. This time it'll be different, huh? I-I promise I'll try my best."

Arthur nodded slightly, rubbing his eyes and breaking the hug quickly. His pride getting the better of him. "Well, now we both look like a couple of pansies. But you had better not tell anyone about This! This is a secret that no one will know; understood. I'll burn your vampire arse if you try." He said defensively.

Alfred laughed lightly before falling silent as Arthur stared at him with calculating eyes.

"Hrmm… Your turn then. I'll ask you something too so it's fair." Arthur stated bluntly, his eyes seeming to shine. He seemed to have taken the situation and reversed it so it helped him out… _Sly…_ Alfred thought.

"Uh… Okay?" Alfred replied.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about Alfie and Allred? There are rare cases where there's a kind of mental battle, but they're often serious and well, most don't end up well. You should have told someone immediately." Arthur said, making sure to dry the last of his tears and putting the tough-guy façade on. To the best of his abilities, at least.

For a moment Alfred hesitated before giving in. "W-well, to be honest. I don't know… I thought maybe Allred was preventing me. But, I guess I just didn't want to worry anyone. Especially not Mattie, he has enough to deal with without worrying about me. The principal; I don't know what they would do if they found out. Maybe they would kick me out, I mean, Allred isn't the kindest person. What if they see me as a threat?" Alfred responded softly. He hung his head, feeling ashamed, but also feeling the need to defend himself somehow.

"Uh, besides, I can't ask for help, I coulda deal with it myself. Heroes don't need the help anyways. It wasn't that bad. I just didn't think about blood though. I didn't think the… The need would be that strong. I think it weakened my resistance against Allred or something, so. So next time, it won't happen! I'll just be more careful."

Alfred spoke with false confidence, breaking eye contact with Arthur only a second after he gained it. The feeling in the air was like some kind of confessional, where both boys were completely open. Like books, their pages were exposed for others to read and both of them felt humbled. Yet, after speaking, they felt oddly… Better.

"You know Alfred." Arthur said, sighing. "I know you're all heroic; you've proved it once or twice, I'll admit. But… Sometimes the best of heroes need a sidekick… so to speak." Arthur said, trying to make an understandable analogy that even Alfred could follow.

Alfred thought about this for a moment; "Hmm… I guess… That's true."

"It is!" Arthur insisted, "Batman and Robin for example."

Alfred snickered, "Dude, you know them? I never would have guessed."

"Or course I do. Ugh, you insult me." Arthur mumbled half-heartedly. Alfred laughed though, relief on his face.

"Okay, then you're my sidekick!" Alfred said giving Arthur the thumbs up.

"A-As long as I'm not the damsel in distress I guess." Arthur muttered, huffing. They had finally continued to walk, somewhere in the middle of their lighter conversation, stopping at his room door. He rested his hand on the doorknob for a moment. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Get a good sleep, Alfred."

Alfred nodded, waving as he entered the room. "You too Arthur. You… Really helped. More ways than one I guess. Thank you."

With a nod of his head, Arthur's door closed and Alfred entered his shared room, Matthew still sleeping, just as he had left him. To think he was called the heavy sleeper of the family; Alfred scoffed at the thought. He lay in his bed, shutting his eyes and trying to fall asleep.

To Alfred's surprise, he fell asleep faster than he expected as a sense of calm washed over him for the night.

It was a welcoming feeling that he hadn't felt since before he came to this school.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I'm terrible, I know. (Q_Q) I broke my promise in the last chapter. It's been over a month since updates. I'm sorry. But no excuses, I'll update more frequently now!<strong>

**-At least I would if exams weren't next week. (;w; ) But I promise the moment my exams finish, I'll post the next chapter, okay? I'll even proofread it tonight so it's ready for posting! You'll see, I'm not gonna break that promise! m(_ _)m**

****:B Herp derp. N**ot much else to say aside from: "Yay, new chapter! Forgive the OOC-ness that I'm sure is there! Feel the bromance and I'm sure you guys know what's gonna happen next. Or do you? 8D"**

**Thanks to the faves, reviews, follows and all the other good things~ You're all awesome! :'D**

**Reviews are loved though; I love getting them! 3 I'd love more, but I first need to make it up to readers before I can expect them; I'm sure. (Sorry, I feel really bad for being so slow ;^;") Flames are justly deserved, though I'd prefer them in the form of constructive criticism. (UvU )**

**Hope your month has gone well, and if you have exams, I wish you the best of luck on them! Just remember that summer starts soon; we'll all be free!**

**~SERF **

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


	46. Arthur Arc: Chapter 46: New Beginnings

I don't own Hetalia. Hidekaz Himaruya does.

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><p>"-And that, Roma sir, is how we all got rid of the ghouls." Alfred said, sitting in the Principals office with his teammates, sans Lovino.<p>

Principal Roma regarded Alfred with a look of amusement as the others stared at him. "So... You and Arthur were the hero and everyone else was backup?"

Arthur sighed, thinking this had gone on long enough. "Alfred, why don't I just explain, hm?" He asked, the vampire turning in his seat to address Arthur but greeted by angry glares from his teammates; all directed at him.

"Oh- Uh, okay Artie." Alfred said, a small chuckle coming from his mouth as Yao cast him an angry look. "That might be best."

Principal Roma was smiling, clearly very amused. "Alright Arthur, then please explain."

"It started fairly rough. We arrived at the docks and began searching for the location of the ghouls. With Yao and Kiku's help we found the warehouse and thanks to the strength of some of the teammates, we opened the door and began exploring, splitting up in the process. After a bit of searching though, the ghouls came out when we were far spread and they attacked us. We ran out, but some of us didn't make it. Francis, Yao, Gilbert, Feliciano and Lovino were all very brave and held their own while the rest of us formed a plan outside. It took a bit of time and there were some arguments, sir, but Alfred managed to step up and take charge. He made a plan that was executed fairly well. We got in and saved our teammates and re-grouped for an attack, which was carried out successfully. Everyone did their part." Arthur said, sounding winded from the long explanation.

"Hey Arthur, you forgot the awesome light balls we made." Alfred said, poking Arthur's cheek.

Arthur huffed, batting Alfred's hand away. "It's of no impor-"

"Hai, that's right! Arthur-san created a very powerful attack that dispatched the ghouls. We all saw it."

At this, Principal Roma raised an eyebrow. "Really? How was this accomplished, may I ask?"

Alfred jumped in to answer, looking proud as he pointed to himself. "I was totally my idea, Roma!"

"Manners, git!" Arthur grumbled.

Alfred seemed to not have heard him as he happily explained. "Artie told me that my ability is like a battery pack! Isn't that awesome!" Alfred was bouncing on the heels of his feet, standing and looking too enthusiastic for such an early morning. "I used it together with his and we made this huge holy-light-ball-thing."

Francis laughed, as did Feliciano and Ivan. In fact, everyone broke into laughter at hearing the American's enthusiastic claim. How could they not when the American was standing there, bouncing on his heels; chair forgotten.

"Kesese. Battery pack, huh? Can you power mein flashlight for me Alfred?"

"Honhonhon, Angleterre, you have a new nickname? Why didn't you tell me?"

Arthur's ears turned as red as Alfred's face was, both boys sinking down into their seats, Alfred plopping down in his.

Principal Roma nodded, "Ah yes, I had assumed Alfred's ability is something that's energy related, only it's more of a positive energy than a negative one. It can be used to enhance another's ability or manifest as a solid force. Of course, we'll have to see how Alfred progresses in the next few ability classes, but I'd say it's a place to start."

Alfred's eyes had widened during Principal Roma's explanation, but not in surprise. "Wait! Roma dude, you knew what my ability was? Why didn't you just tell me? I've had way too much trouble with it; knowing what it was would have been really helpful!" He stubbornly crossed his arms.

Roma looked apologetic, "I'm sorry Alfred. I'm not supposed to interfere with things like that; it's all about the self-learning, Germania's orders." He looked humbled, as though he really wished he could have told. It made Alfred's anger slowly dissipate, leaving him stewing. "Anyways boys, things seem like they're going well. I trust you will all do your best on the next assignment?"

Heads nodded, though some looked a little less enthusiastic. Feliciano raised his hand politely, wanting to speak. "Lovi isn't going to be part of the group anymore, nono Rome. He wants me to leave too; it's too dangerous he said."

"I see… Will you also be leaving us Feli?" Principal Roma asked. There was no hint of persuasion in his voice, no compelling from him to keep Feliciano in the group. Clearly he would respect Feliciano's decision either way, but the same couldn't be said for some others.

Alfred himself worried that if Feliciano left, the group would be short one member. They had already established that without Lovino, there would still be ten members. The control group standard would be fulfilled according to Roma's standards. Without Feliciano, where would they find another member?

"Ve… Well, I was scared in the warehouse… When I fought too, I wanted to run away." Feliciano admitted shyly, "But… I want to stay. My friends are here, and when they're around I feel a lot safer. It makes me want to try hard too; no one seemed scared back then with the ghouls, and I want to work hard too!"

Roma nodded his head, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips. Some let out a baited breath; relieved that Feliciano was staying and people like Ludwig and Gilbert seemed to loosen up and relax.

Alfred couldn't help but nod at Feliciano's words. It was true, he did feel terrified back at the docks, but at the same time, with the team on his mind, he wondered. Would he have been as brave and tough without the knowledge that his team was there? Depending on him; on each other? Probably not, if he were to be honest with himself.

"Good to hear Feli." Principal Roma said, nodding to himself. There was a shine in his eye as he looked at Feliciano proudly; though, Alfred nearly missed it. With that said, Roma stood up, walking towards the door as others followed behind him. "I think that's about it. You're all excused from class to rest after last night's ordeal. Make sure to pick up any missed wo-"

"-Wait! Alfred still needs to decide!" Gilbert called as everyone made their way to the door.

Bodies stopped moving, some casting Gilbert a confused look, others nodding.

"Mein bruder is right. Alfred have you decided on your second-in-command?"

Alfred gulped nervously, but nodded. He had given it long thought last night, but this morning he had begun to grow doubtful about his decision. He only hoped that now, the one he chose would agree to it.

"I have." He said, turning to Principal Roma, just to avoid the looks everyone was giving him. Some hadn't been informed of this decision, so it was news, while others were waiting in anticipation. "Roma, sir. I would like to nominate someone as my second in command. For when I can't, you know, fulfill my duties or something."

Principal Roma nodded, motioning for Alfred to continue. "Who is it you wish to nominate Alfred?"

Alfred turned, "Arthur." He said, eyes resting on the angel standing a few feet away. The angel's eyes went wide as they registered the name.

"W-Wh- Me?!" Arthur asked incredulously, emerald eyes staring at Alfred as though he had just grown a second head.

The others in the room seemed equally as surprised, Gilbert opening his mouth to protest this decision obly to be stopped by Principal Roma.

"I see… Is there any reason for this decision Alfred?" He asked curiously. His expression was amused, as though this wasn't all that big of a shock for him.

Heads nodded, all wanting an explanation for this decision. Arthur in particular was eyeing Alfred with curious eyes.

Feeling shy suddenly as all the stares bore into Alfred, he cleared his throat. "Well, during the attack yesterday, I wasn't really… Around. So Arthur took good initiative and kept calm. He seemed to be well in control and took the leadership role with stride, ya know? Even now he jumped in and gave you a pretty good debriefing of the mission, Roma, sir."

Roma chuckled, his head moving up and down in a nod. Others seemed fairly unconvinced though; especially Arthur, whom was staring at Alfred skeptically. Taking the silence as a sign to continue, Alfred hastily threw in more.

"-And Arthur seems pretty popular. Everyone here knows him, they'd take orders from him; or at least listen to him. Respect him, right? I know I would." He said, rubbing the back of his head shyly.

"I suppose…" Ludwig said after another brief moment of silence. "If Alfred really thinks Arthur is the best decision, I can accept Arthur as the second-in-command." He gave a sharp nod to Arthur to prove he was with the idea, looking at the others.

"Fine, its okay. "Gilbert said begrudgingly. "I'm too awesome for such a stressful role anyways. All that bossing around would be West's thing anyway."

Ivan just nodded, seeing as he was the last who would really oppose the decision; he gave in. "Da, the angel has my approval. For now at least." He turned to Arthur, smiling, but everyone knew it was more than just a simple congratulatory smile. "Don't disappoint me Arthur."

Arthur gulped, looking nervous and eyeing Alfred. He sent the American a glare for putting him in this awkward position as Roma cleared his throat. "Well, we have no objections from the teammates, but Arthur, are you willing to take the job?"

"I-I-" Arthur looked around at the expectant faces, eyes choosing to rest on Alfred. The vampire looked back at him pleadingly, begging with his eyes for Arthur to accept. How could Arthur say no…"Alright, I'll do it. But you all better give me your full attention! And Alfred, I want to speak to you after this." He hissed.

"Excellent!" Principal Roma said cheerfully, "I'll let Germania know of your decision. Oh, and Alfred, I'd like to request you stay behind for a moment, if you please."

He walked over to the office door, pulling it open. "I will see the rest of you boys later. There's been increased supernatural activity these days, so expect another assignment soon."

A few groaned as they exited; thinking about the next assignment and wondering what it will entail. Feliciano stopped for a moment and gave Roma a hug before leaving and Yao made an effort to congratulate Arthur for getting the position. Soon all that was left was Alfred and Arthur in the office as Roma closed the door, turning to address Alfred.

"Hm? Oh, Arthur. You needn't worry about this; it's just a matter concerning Alfred." Principal Roma said, eyeing the angel who stayed behind.

"With all due respect sir, as second in command, I think anything that involves the leader is part of my business." Arthur replied, standing tall. Already he was exerting his ability; cunning. Roma thought, chuckling.

"Okay then, if you wish. I hope that's okay Alfred."

Alfred nodded, just waiting for Roma to explain why he was there.

"Well, it's nearing the end of the week Alfred. You know what that means." Principal Roma said, walking over and sitting in his desk. He held a serious look on his face, eyeing Alfred warily.

"Sir?" Alfred was stumped, what did that mean? Was there some occasion he was supposed to- oh. "O-Oh!"

Arthur raised a thick brow, confused. "Sorry, am I missing something here?"

"Weren't you there Arthur? Alfred has a trial run at the school, remember? After a week he decides if he wants to stay or not." Principal Roma explained, leaning back in his chair. "So Alfred?"

Arthur immediately looked at Alfred, whom returned the look with an "It's cool, I got it under control!" look.

"Sir, uh, I- I'd like to stay."

"Oh?"

"I mean, yesterday I wouldn't have. But, something's convinced me that this place might be best. Plus, I got a team to lead, right? I can't just abandon them." Alfred said, looking back at the principal figure in front of him. "I made some friends here and one, uh, best friend. It wouldn't be nice to leave the best friend alone. He totally needs me ya know?" He laughed lightly as Arthur glared at him, elbowing him.

"I see… Best friend, hm?" Roma said, chuckling.

"Yeah! He's pretty darn cool. He's really nice, even though he's got a temper. He kind of… Knocked some sense into me the past few days, and has stuck by me even though I've been a pain." Alfred said, sobering, "He's a pretty good guy. I know I've got his back, if he's got mine."

Arthur, whom had been readying another elbow-to-the-gut, hesitated as he listened to Alfred's words. He cast a side glance towards Alfred, having been looking forwards at Roma's reactions. Green eyes met blue and in them, he could see sincerity. He sighed, lowering his arm to his lap.

Roma watched them with amusement, "I see. Arthur, have you met this boy?" he asked.

"Ah, y-yes. Yes I have. I must say he's got incredible patience for tolerating Alfred. Although; I suppose he sees more than just the buffoon in him." Arthur replied, smirking as Alfred sucked in a breath, looking ready to protest. "I mean, Alfred's definitely more than that; it's just one of the traits that makes him an interesting character. I-I'm sure that the more he spends time with Alfred, the better he will understand Alfred and the closer their friendship will become."

Alfred chuckled, smiling at Arthur as Roma's eyes shined. "Very well then, I'll make sure to add you to the school roster. That way the enrollment is official." He said happily.

"Thanks Roma dude." Alfred said, giving a thumbs-up before stretching. His legs were getting tired from standing.

Arthur cleared his throat, "Well, anyways sir, I really must be going. I need to catch the teachers before they leave the classrooms and Alfred here ought to go to ."

Alfred looked perplexed, "I do?"

Arthur groaned, "Blood, Alfred." He said before whispering, "I'm not letting you skip another. One bite is most certainly enough."

Roma raised an eyebrow at this, but stayed silent and nodded. "Very well, have a good day boys." He said, waving his hand as the two left his office.

On the other side of the door, Alfred stood with Arthur a bit of a tense silence surrounding them.

"So…"

"So…" Arthur looked to the ground, "You meant that right?"

Alfred nodded quickly. "Of course I did! I got your back and you got mine, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Arthur replied, "Well, I definitely do now that you've made me second in command. Blimey Alfred, you could have told me beforehand!" He said, walking out of the office with Alfred. They stood in the hallways now, slowly walking towards 's room.

"Sorry! Those guys just told me yesterday I had to decide, it was like a spur of the moment kind of thing!" Alfred replied, raising his hands in an act of surrender. "Stay calm dude".

"Spur of the moment?! You mean you thought it up on the spot! You're serious? Wow, you're a bigger ham-head than I thought!" Arthur said, sounding ticked off; "Just, I can't-"

"Woah, woah! No, I thought about it last night, when I got back from our… Night-time seemed like you'd be best for the job Artie. You got this commanding air about ya, and well…" Alfred looked away, puffing his cheeks. "I-I trust you."

Arthur felt his anger deflate faster than a balloon. "…Git." Was all he could say. "If you thought I would be good for the job, then I suspect maybe you are right." He admitted. "But that doesn't change things; you're still going to get blood. You're going to lead this team and not run away again. And!" Arthur crossed his arms. "You're going to have to talk to Ivan at some point."

"What?! Ivan? Why!?" Alfred stopped at the door to the first aid room, hand on the doorknob as he turned to look at the angel. "Why do I have to talk to him? He's totally mad at me! Couldn't you tell; I didn't choose him as second in command and now he wants to like, I don't know, off us and take our job!"

"You're throwing the whole situation out of proportion!" Arthur said, frowning. "You need to talk to Ivan about Allred."

_What._ "What." Alfred stared at Arthur like he suddenly grew extra limbs. "Are you nuts Artie, I can't talk about Allred to anyone, let alone Ivan!" he hissed, glaring. Arthur must have not had enough sleep.

"Git! You have to tell someone about it; it can't be just me. Anyways, there's a reason you should talk to Ivan specifically. Listen to it first, will you."

Alfred huffed, "Okay, okay."

"Ivan has some experience with internal… Voices." Arthur said, whispering in case others were listening in.

"What, really?" Alfred said surprised, that's news to him. Who would have thought Ivan had an Allred too!

"Shh! I'm not saying he has the same exact problem as you, Alfred. In fact, it might not even be true." Arthur said quickly, nudging the vampire to get him to keep quiet. "I've only heard that he has experience in it, from his older sister. I'm sure if you talk to him, you two could figure out what to about Allred. At least find a better way to block him from your mind."

"Yeah, I suppose…" Alfred said, h'mm-ing. "But how am I supposed to approach him, let alone bring this up."

Arthur sighed, "I don't know Alfred. But be careful how you do it. Only a choice few know about Ivan's experiences. Not to mention his sister Natalya, watch for her too. She's a bit protective of Ivan. At best, maybe you should talk to Kat first. She might be of help."

"Kat?" Alfred asked, tapping his chin. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Katyusha. Ivan's older sister. Careful talking to her; she's sensitive." Arthur said, turning to the door now. They had lingered long enough. "Just do it as soon as you can, Alfred. Alright?"

"Fiiiiine." Alfred drawled, turning the doorknob at last and stepping through, Arthur following behind as they searched for .

_I guess it can't hurt to talk to Ivan._ Alfred thought absently, _I just have to be careful that Allred doesn't hear of this…_

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><p>Meanwhile, in the office, Principal Roma's eyes went back into focus. He looked at his friend, rubbing his head. "Goodness, these visions are coming more frequently these days." He mumbled, casting a tired look to his friend. "What's the latest?" he said lightly, though Germania did not smile. Instead, his long-haired friend passed him a paper and the cheer in eyes dimmed.<p>

_**As two worlds collide, death will reign. Beware the one who's friendship they feign.**_

"I think-" Germania said, looking at Roma, "That we should cut back on the wine for you, Romulus. And-" he cut his friend off before the brunette could protest. "We should keep a keen eye on the school; this means trouble. But for whom, I don't know…"

Roma pouted at the thought of wine cutbacks, spinning his chair and looking out the window of his office, "You must be right old friend" He mumbled, idly tapping the chair's armrest. "But I have to wonder. Exactly what awaits us at the end of it all?"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>_Sorry this is a bit of a long AN! *whispers*_

**Ahaha! (OwO ) What's studying? Who needs that? Wehehe~ **

**I do. (-.- ") Oh well, I couldn't help it. I like writing. My creativity is coming back with the realization that its year end! *And I have summer school to take extra courses come July* I recently got a review from someone who brought up some good constructive criticism. I'll address it in the AN to get some things out of the way. (I was gonna be a baby about it though and delete it, but I think this is a better approach; to take it and improve! *LOL, I'm such a pansy. Please forgive the author's pansy-ness*)**

**Ahem, The Intro Arc is actually rather long! 8I You raise a good point Anon. I will admit I've been pondering if I should go back and re-organize the things, maybe squish them into fewer chapters at least. But I will admit I'm both lazy and scared of re-reading my works. Mostly I find things *Like grammar, spelling, basic story plot fails* and go "OMGWTFBBQ IS THIS SHIZZLE? *Throws computer*" and a lot happens, but yeah, I should get off my lazy butt and just bite the bullet, eh? I will do my best to address that issue by the Autumn season, but being the unreliable person I am, I can't promise at the moment. :'D**

**I **_**do**_** know where this is going. Like I've said in past Author's notes, I have a long plot *With pretty labeled arcs :'D* that I'm following. Although I admit the dialog that comes can drag things out. I keep thinking "Oh wow, I just thought of the best thing to add" or "Cliffhangers, I thought of more cliffhangers!" or "OMGBBQ I have a perfect thing that could happen!" things like that that I guess stem into a rather drawled on thing. But, to clarify, the arcs are basically centered on one or two characters with a bit of development on the side. (At least I'm aiming for that)Side note, I find that my planned surprises are really fail, aren't they? People keep guessing things… :I *pokerface* Gotta work on that. *Or maybe I'm being too obvious OTL***

**But, I've taken your review to heart Anon and I promise I'll really try my best to get things moving at a faster pace without giving away those surprises! It may please you to know that this was actually the last chapter of Arthur's Arc! (^7^)/ *takes out party crackers* Or at least, of this arc. The relationships are building and the assignment is done and a new problem is to be solved. *At least I'm hoping that's what it seems.***

**Hmm, and I'm sure you're wondering about those marks they got early on, but I think this new arc will try to use them. To be honest they didn't have much of an important role until far into the future. (;w;" ) But I think that's enough info for now. Did I reveal too much now? :I Snap, Crackle, and Pop. :I**

**Anyways! Thanks for the reviews, faves 'n follows. Sorry to readers who find this is dragging on too long! I'm glad someone told me about it though; so I'll make an effort to fix that problem. Reviews are welcome and flames in the form of constructive criticism are welcome too. Any questions, please let me know and I'll try to answer them without giving things away. *zips lips* ( owo )**

**~SERF**

**(SoulEaterRomanceFan)**


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